Trials in crimes against children to be completed in a year: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said the state government would take steps to complete trials in cases of violence against children within one year of the occurrence of such crimes.

He also said measures will be taken with the help of the High Court to provide training to those involved in the legal process to make the trials in such cases more child friendly.

The Chief Minister said this while addressing a meeting on the legal protection and security of victims of sexual assault.

Noting that vigilant intervention was essential in the cases of violence against women and children, he said various programmes are being conducted in this regard.

Vijayan also directed the departments and agencies including the Women and Child Welfare, Police, General Education, Higher Education, Kudumbashree, KILA, Women’s Commission and Women’s Development Corporation to launch a comprehensive Gender Sensitization Campaign in the state.

He said crime mapping should be done to identify the extent, severity and circumstances of crimes against women and children and directed the officials to suggest solutions for them.

Directing that the details of the victims should be kept private and not leaked for any reason, the CM said in media reports, hints that are helpful in identifying victims of sexual harassment should be avoided.