In a significant move to support child victims of sexual crimes, the Uttarakhand government has announced the creation of assistant panels in every district. These assistants will provide emotional and logistical support to victims under the POCSO Act—from hospital visits to the completion of court proceedings. The initiative aims to help economically weaker families who often struggle to navigate medical, police, and legal systems.
Director of the Women and Child Welfare Department, Prashant Arya, stated that most POCSO cases involve children from underprivileged backgrounds. Due to lack of awareness or time, their guardians are often unable to remain actively involved in the process. To address this, the government has decided to provide official assistants who will support the child through all stages—from medical aid to investigation and court procedures.
According to Deputy Chief Probation Officer Anjana Gupta, each assistant will receive a total honorarium of ₹20,000, disbursed in four phases: upon appointment and submission of the initial report, during evidence recording, through monthly case reporting, and after the court’s final verdict.
The district-level panels will assign cases, limiting each assistant to a maximum of five cases at a time. Preference will be given to non-political social workers with a postgraduate degree in social work, sociology, psychology, or child development, or a graduate degree with three years of experience in child education and development. A three-year term will be granted to each panel, extendable based on satisfactory performance. The role will be part-time.
