CWC in the dark

Child Welfare Committees are crucial links between the police and victims of sexual abuse

Child Welfare Committees (CWC), seen as crucial links between the police and victims of sexual abuse, appear to have been left in the dark in most cases. They have been relying on media reports for information. This, even though the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 mandates that the special juvenile police unit or the local police should report such crime to the CWC within 24 hours.

The latest case in point is the alleged sexual abuse at an international school in Jalahalli. A CWC committee member, under whose jurisdiction the Jalahalli school case falls, said that members learnt about the case only after seeing media reports. “Neither the police nor the women and child development officers informed us of the case,” the member said.

CWC members are entrusted with playing counsellors as well as ensuring justice, compensation and even governmental help to the victims, the member added.

Victims affected

The most affected due to the lack of coordination between Department of Women and Child Development, police and the CWC are the victims, said H.R. Umesh Aradhya, Chairperson, Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR).

He also said the CWC is a quasi-judicial body consisting of lawyers, child right activists and counsellors. “These members have awareness and are equipped with legal knowledge and can deal with the situation in a more sensitive manner. There is a need to ensure that these committees are empowered,” he said.

Mr. Aradhya also said that CWC members had complained to him about this several times. The Commission plans to take up the matter with the departments concerned to make sure that CWC members are vested with the responsibility. There are three CWCs in Bangalore (Urban) who have been allocated jurisdictional areas.

When asked why CWC members are not being consulted, City Police Commissioner M.N. Reddi said volunteers from the child helpline were interacting with the victim, and interaction of the victims with the police is being minimised. If need be, women police personnel talk to the victims, he added.