Kerala to crack down on child pornography

The order stated that counselling classes can be conducted in the educational institutions making use of the effective health care system in our state.
For representational purposes (Express Illustrations)
For representational purposes (Express Illustrations)

KOCHI:  Predators  exploit the naive minds of young children, says K Byjunath, member of the State Human Rights Commission. He recently issued an order directing the public education department and the police to take strict action against culprits who force young school and college students into child pornography.

According to him, the crimes against minors do not stop at making and spreading child porn. Many kids are being sexually exploited under the pretext of film shooting and forced into abuse and trafficking of drugs, which is a very serious situation.  Byjunath says small children can easily be lured with toffee or a toy. “Police have already registered cases under Operation P-Hunt. Both girls and boys are being sexually exploited,” he says. 

The commission plans to use the help of school counsellors. “High school counsellors can take sessions in smaller classes as well. The health department and the Kerala Legal Service Authority (KELSA) also have experienced counsellors. Apart from this, NGOs are also contributing,” said Byjunath.

Kerala Legal Service Authority has district and taluk level organisations titled DELSA and TELSA that offer counselling services. The order stated that counselling classes can be conducted in the educational institutions making use of the effective health care system in our state. The Social Justice Department will also play a key role, he added. 

However, K Jeevan Babu, director of public instructions (DPI), says giving counselling to all the 45 lakh students in the state is an impossible task. A practical solution would be to give support to those students who show behavioural anomalies or lack of interest in academics.  “Counsellors in schools are working towards the mental well-being of children. But right now, it is even more challenging as kids are usually at home owing to the pandemic. Understanding their emotions virtually is tough.

A child who behaves very normally and involves actively on social media platforms may be very gloomy in real life,” the DPI said.Babu added that the overuse of smart phones and addiction to screens add to the problem. “When parents notice issues, they inform the police or cousellors or respective class teachers. This ultimately reaches us. It is a public menace and there is no easy solution. We need to create more awareness among the children,” he said adding that Kerala has only a maximum of 2,000 to 3,000 counsellors to meet the needs.

ZERO TOLERANCE TO THE CRIME

According to the report by the Inspector General of Police, Crime Branch, Thiruvananthapuram range, 125 arrests have been made throughout Kerala from 2017 under Operation P-Hunt. The plan was initiated exclusively to identify and book child sexual abuse offenders on the internet. On January 26, 2020, Kerala police started a dedicated unit for online child sexual abuse offenders, under the name CCSE in coordination with international organisations.
DPI and education department asked to act swiftly to prevent the crimes
Commission lauds efforts of IG, Crime Branch and Operation P-Hunt
125 culprits nabbed by Operation P-Hunt since 2017
State doesn’t have enough counsellors to meet the needs of 45 lakh students

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