Underlining the role of the police and media in protecting children from sexual offences, High Court chief justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta has said that sexual offences against children have shot up in the last 20 years and such offences have to be curbed by creating awareness among the parents to protect their children.
The Andhra Pradesh State Legal Services Authority and the Andhra Pradesh Police Academy (APPA) jointly conducted a sensitisation programme for the stakeholders on Protection of Child from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 at APPA here on Sunday.
Addressing the gathering, justice Sengupta said that elaborate discussions needed to be held on sexual offences on child at schools, rural localities, hospitals to create awareness among the parents and others to prevent such offences. “Media and police have to play a key role in preventing such offences,” the chief justice said but cautioned the media to publish such news after confirming the information whether it is bona fide or not.
Director-general of police B Prasada Rao said that hundreds of children were getting addicted to vices due to neglect by their parents who both worked and spent more time in office than at home. More and more children were losing their parental affection as they were being taken care of by maids and wardens, he said.
‘’Addiction to surfing on the Internet, mobile phones, TV and films might have been one of the reasons for the children to acquire vices. When police receive complaints of child sexual harassment, they should take serious action against the accused and provide better medical facilities to the victims with the assistance of district child welfare officials,” the DGP said.