HYDERABAD: A special court for the trial for offences under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, Child-Friendly Court, was inaugurated by senior Supreme Court Judge Justice Madan B Lokur at HACA Bhavan in the city on Friday.
Stressing on the need to give time to help the children get their rights, Justice Madan B Lokur said his belief was that the rights of children have been neglected for a long time. “We had the Juvenile Justice Act in place, but it was not being implemented. In 2005, the then Supreme Court Judge received complaints about non-implementation of the Act and then a meeting was held to discuss child rights,” said Justice Lokur, adding that things have picked up in the last couple of years.
He asked that if children are not taken care of, what kind of future we are giving them? The members of the society have to contribute to address their issues and help them get their rights. “Try looking at the child’s point of view. How can a child who has been sexually assaulted describe what happened to them? What is the nature of examination and cross-examination to elicit the truth? We need to think about these things,” said the Justice.