To spread mass awareness on sexual offences against children and certain legal instruments like the Protection of Children Offence Act, the Youth Council for Development Alternatives (YCDA) with the support of the State Women and Child Development Department and the UNICEF, Odisha launched a State-level campaign ‘Breaking the Silence-Combating Child Sexual Abuse’ here on Friday.
School and Mass Education Department Secretary Usha Padhee, WCD Department Director S Aswathy, State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Commissioner Kasturi Mohapatra, Member of State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Rajendra Meher and UNICEF Child Protection Specialist laxmi Narayan Nanda, among others, discussed on various issues relating to child sexual abuse.
The programme highlighted that children’s courts have been set up along with appointment of special public prosecutors under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. A guideline under this Act has been notified by the WCD Department for use of Government servants, NGOs, professionals and experts in different fields to assist a child during the trial and pre-trial stages.