Meeting discusses steps to evolve safety mechanism to curb sexual crimes against school kids

Thane, Dec 3 (PTI) Months after the sexual assault of two girls in a school at Badlapur in Maharashtra, a meeting was held in Thane district to evolve a safety mechanism to curb sexual crimes against school children.
The meeting was held recently in Thane city under the direction of Thane District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) chairman and Principal District Judge Srinivas Agarwal, with DLSA secretary Ishwar Suryavanshi presiding over the session.
Representatives from schools, teacher associations, police department and child protection groups took part in the meeting, a release by the DLSA said.
Various points related to safety of students, particularly installation of CCTV cameras in schools, police verification of staff and mandatory training for educators on children's rights and laws protecting minors, were discussed.
The initiative aligns with directives from the Bombay High Court, which had formed a committee under the leadership of a retired judge to establish safety rules for schools. These rules are now expected to be implemented in schools, ensuring they are not just theoretical but practically applied, the release said.
Suryavanshi said schools must maintain CCTV footage for at least a month, and stressed the importance of providing training to both staff and students, particularly on sensitive topics like 'good touch and bad touch' and cybercrime awareness.
He also called for regular police supervision of educational institutions.
Chief Judicial Magistrate S K Phokmare expressed concern over the rising cases of juvenile offenders involved in sexual crimes, and noted that educators play a key role in curbing it. He urged teachers to take an active role in preventing exposure to harmful content and guiding students away from potential dangers like pornography.
Assistant Police Commissioner Rajkumar Dongre highlighted the growing concern regarding sexual abuse in educational institutions, stating that the rising frequency of such incidents has now become a law and order issue.
Suryavanshi instructed the education departments to monitor the condition of schools regularly and submit reports to the DLSA regarding the implementation of these safety measures.
Thane District Women and Child Welfare Officer Mahendra Gaikwad emphasized the need for continuous training sessions for both teachers and students.
Two kindergarten girls were sexually assaulted by a male attendant in the washroom of their school in Badlapur in Thane district in August this year. The accused, Akshay Shinde, was shot dead by police in September while being ferried in a police vehicle.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)