Guwahati, Nov 15 (IANS): Assam Director General of Police (DGP) Gyanendra Pratap Singh interacted with child sexual abuse victims on a range of topics including their experiences while interacting with the police system, their challenges during the trial and other factors like education and mental health today at the state police headquarters on Thursday.
According to an official release, child sexual abuse victims are vulnerable and have to navigate the complex procedures of the justice delivery mechanism.
“Assam Police’s Child Rights Week celebrations, held from November 14th (National Children's Day) to November 20th (World Children's Day), includes this interactive session as a key event,” an official added.
During ‘Child Rights Week’ every year, DGP Singh interacts with children to understand the various challenges faced by children while navigating the justice delivery mechanism.
Meanwhile, regular interactions with children are a part of the Assam Police’s Sishu Mitra Initiative, with UNICEF & UTSAH, through which attempts are also made to uphold the participation rights of children.
Child Sexual Abuse victims from Child Care Institutions and various parts of Guwahati City attended this interactive session.
Singh said: “It is critical to talk with children regularly and understand their viewpoints. The Assam Police has always been taking initiative to ensure that our system is responsive to the needs and concerns of children.”
Harmeet Singh, Special Director General of Police & Convener of the Assam Police Sishu Mitra Programme said: “Regular feedback from children helps us make necessary changes within the system, in a way that is representative of the voices and needs of children.”
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma earlier asserted that the state police force was strengthened and the case pendency has reduced at least four-fold times in the last three years.
According to Sarma, in 2021, 95,994 cases were pending in Assam and the figure has drastically dropped down to 18,286 cases in 2024.
The burden of cases for each investigating officer has also lowered. In 2021, there were 52 cases per investigating officer in the police department which has come down to just 7.39 cases in June 2024.