POCSO victims in TN to get updates on cases through SMS

Tamil Nadu Police Department has launched a new initiative to make the victims of the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Bill’s (POCSO) cases aware of the developments in the case through WhatsApp or SMS. The police of the Southern districts, including Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari, Theni, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga and Virudhunagar districts have started sending updates to the complainants of sexual crimes on the progress of court trials through WhatsApp or SMS. Speaking to ANI, South zone IG Asra Garg said, “Recently we have started taking some new steps for victims in POCSO cases so that we can take care of the victims with more special care.” He further said, “We had realized that the victims and their family are not having any idea as to what is happening to their cases.”

Garg said that after a few years, the victims’ cases end up in the trial courts and there is no other system in between to get updates on their cases. He said that the cases would be registered and the accused will be arrested as per the existing procedures. “In order to ensure that the victims feel empowered, we have created a small database of the POCSO victims and their family members. We have started relaying messages to them in Tamil with easily understandable usage of words and sentences,” the IG said. The police are informing the victims of what happens on a particular day and what is the next date of hearing and what is the agenda of the next date of hearing, as per the police. Talking about the impact of the initiative taken by the officials, Garg said that the victims and their families have appreciated the system.

“Some people informed us during informal interactions that they never expected that police would start messaging them and that too in an easily understandable language,” he said. Asra Garg said that the Government of Tamil Nadu directed the officials to take steps to ensure that the children are taken care of in a very humane manner with due care and special attention.