Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Wednesday directed the Telangana state government to submit a report detailing the steps it had taken to prevent sexual harassment of children at school, and suggesting measures to be taken in the future to curb this menace. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice V. Ramasubramanian was dealing with a PIL filed by Golconda resident Nowhera Shaik who sought a direction to the state government to make appropriate statutory laws and laying down rules, regulations and guidelines to protect school-going children from sexual and mental abuse.
Impleading the member-secretary of the Telangana Legal Services Authority, the bench said that sexual abuse of children was a heinous offence and there was a dire need to curb it. Various studies had disclosed that a majority of offenders in child abuse cases were known to the victims or were their relatives, it said.
Counsel for the petitioner urged the court to direct the government to lay down strict guidelines for educational institutions to ensure the safety of students and protection from any sort of physical and mental abuse and endangerment to life.
He submitted that it was necessary for the police to fix liability on educational institutions in whose premises such incidents of sexual abuse, accidents and deaths take place. It should also fix the duty on other government institutions including the police to ensure safety of students.
Asking what was the women and child welfare department doing in this regard, the bench inquired with counsel for the home department about the role of the committees constituted under the Pocso Act.
Mr K. Srikanth submitted that the department was conducting awareness camps with voluntary organisations, students, teachers and parents on the issue and Bharosa centres had been working for the safety of women.
While adjourning the case to October 23, the bench directed the Chief Secretary, principal secretaries of school education, higher education and home departments, the DGP and the Hyderabad police commissioner to file their affidavits.
