Chennai: Following the recommendations of Madras High Court, the Department of School Education has directed all schools to maintain a complaint box to receive complaints about sexual violations of female students.
However, activists of the rights of children said boys were also influenced by the violation and had to be allowed to drop complaints in the boxes.
“While confirming the Mahila trial order that eradicated a priest for a tight five-year prison under the Pocso law to abuse a 12-year-old girl in 2019, the court argued that female students were blocked from a complaint tender to the teacher or school management regarding violations sexual remembers studies in the future.
The court recommends the state government to form a committee consisting of district social welfare officers, Secretary of the District Legal Service Authority, a female police officer who is not under the rank of police supervisors, District Education officers, a psychiatrist and female doctor From a government hospital, “a letter from K Jeyaalalitha, Deputy Secretary of the Department of School Education, to the school education commissioner said.
It was forwarded to all heads of education officers and district education officers to take action.
The court is also directed at storing complaints boxes regarding sexual violations in each educational institution and key boxes must be stored under the control of the Secretary, District Law Service Authority.
“The box must be examined by the District Legal Services Authority and district social welfare officials, once a week and inquiry together, if the prime-facie reveals sexual violations, and continues it to the police station in question,” Further letters.
said.
“Apart from the matters above, it is recommended that telephone numbers from the jurisdiction of all female police stations can also be displayed in the Board of Announcement of Educational Institutions to create awareness and also seek police assistance, if needed,” he added.
It was asked to take the necessary actions in the direction above the Madras High Court and to form a committee to prevent sexual violations of female students.
The action taken reports can be sent to the earliest government, the letter said.
Activists said recommendations were impractical because it was not possible for district level officers to open a complaint box once a week at school.
“We need a protection mechanism in school.
However, the complaining box must be gender neutral because boys are also affected.
The boxes must be placed in a place where there is no CCTV camera and can be accessed by children on the school campus,” said A Devaneyan, a child’s rights activist.
He said children faced various types of violations including physical, emotional, sexual, negligent and online violence.
He said creating a child protection committee at the school level would be a solution.
J Shyam Sundar, Director of the Institute of Social Education.
The complaining box said it might not encourage children to tell sexual violations.
“We need to empower children to share their problems inside and outside of school freely at regular intervals.
This will encourage children to share their problems rather than a complaint box,” he said.