#SwiftJusticeForKids : More Fast-track Courts for Cases of Violence against Children

The Issue

A person whom I used to call Bhaiyya (brother) out of respect, forced himself on me. I was 16 years old. He had offered to walk me home late one evening after Navratri celebrations. I was grateful as I was scared to walk alone in the dark.

But what happened next is something I haven’t been able to forget all these years. The way he grabbed me. The way I struggled and luckily managed to escape.

Even after so many years, I still remember every detail of that horrifying night. I went into a shell after that, blamed myself and stopped going out after dark.

I can only imagine what young survivors and innocent children go through after sexual assault. Many of them go into depression, some also experience PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Trust me when I say it is very difficult for children to lead a normal life after facing sexual assault. One way to give them back their right to a happy, trauma-free life is to put the culprit behind bars.

Repeated court appearances make survivors relive the trauma. And this often stops survivors and their families from seeking justice.

I don’t want any child to go through the trauma I did.

I’ve started this campaign asking all political parties to commit to setting up more fast-track courts to ensure swift justice in cases registered under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. Sign and share my petition

Ironically this pro-children act was framed in 2012 to ensure speedy trial and swift justice to children but data suggests that in reality these cases go on for years.

Maharashtra has 17,300 cases pending trial; UP has 15,900 and Madhya Pradesh 10,950. Kerala, Odisha, Karnataka, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Gujarat have cases ranging between 3,500 to 5,000 pending.

Even our Supreme Court agrees that children should get speedy justice. Because justice delayed is justice denied!

Sign and share my petition. Raise our collective voice for voiceless children so that our lawmakers hear our call for #SwiftJusticeForKids

Click here if you want to sign my petition in Hindi

#SheVotes2019

Geeta J.Petition StarterFashion model, Founder of the Age Not Cage, a part of the invincible women series for the Women's day 2021 by Indian Express, Co-founder of the NGO Million Dots, Changemaker and a writer.

Victory

This petition made change with 2,21,812 supporters!

The Issue

Repeated court appearances make survivors relive the trauma. And this often stops survivors and their families from seeking justice.

I don’t want any child to go through the trauma I did.

Ironically this pro-children act was framed in 2012 to ensure speedy trial and swift justice to children but data suggests that in reality these cases go on for years.

Maharashtra has 17,300 cases pending trial; UP has 15,900 and Madhya Pradesh 10,950. Kerala, Odisha, Karnataka, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Gujarat have cases ranging between 3,500 to 5,000 pending.

Even our Supreme Court agrees that children should get speedy justice. Because justice delayed is justice denied!

Sign and share my petition. Raise our collective voice for voiceless children so that our lawmakers hear our call for #SwiftJusticeForKids

Click here if you want to sign my petition in Hindi

#SheVotes2019

Victory

This petition made change with 2,21,812 supporters!

Share this petition

The Decision Makers

Prof M.V. Rajeev Gowda,

Chairman AICC Research Dept; National Spokesperson AICC; Ex-MP, Rajya Sabha from Karnataka

Responded

“Dear Citizens, We received a petition on Change.org from Geeta Jena, a homemaker from Mumbai asking for more fast-track courts for the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. On behalf of the Congress Party I would like to assure Geeta Jena and her 1.9 lakh supporters that their voices have been heard. Under the leadership of Shri Rahul Gandhi, the Indian National Congress firmly believes that a better and safer world for children must be a priority. Our manifesto reads: “Children are the most valuable human resource of a country. Congress believes that it is the duty of the Central and State Governments to ensure that every child enjoys all the rights of a child, especially complete education and full health.” Therefore, we have pledged in our manifesto that, crimes against children, especially sexual violence, are crimes against humanity. Congress promises to take a serious view of such crimes. The number of POCSO courts will be increased, trials will be put on the fast track and the guilty punished. It is our collective responsibility to create a safer world for our children. You can read the full manifesto on manifesto.inc.in To remain updated on our work, follow us @INCIndia on Twitter. Thank you Prof MV Rajeev Gowda Member of Parliament & Convenor, INC Manifesto Committee”

Prof M.V. Rajeev Gowda

Chairman AICC Research Dept; National Spokesperson AICC; Ex-MP, Rajya Sabha from Karnataka

Responded

Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Responded

“Dear Citizens, I have received this petition from Geeta Jena, a homemaker from Mumbai asking my party to ensure that we have more fast-track courts in India for swift justice in cases of violence against children. I see that nearly 2 lakh people have signed this petition. I want to assure Geeta and every one of you that my party, the BJP is committed to ensuring the safety of every child. This includes minimizing the trauma of those children who seek justice. As you may be aware, the BJP government at the centre has already approved a plan to set up more than 1000 more such courts to get rid of pending rape cases and cases, which come under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, across the country. I agree that this is an important issue and I have recommended the same to the manifesto committee of the BJP. I would like you to remain updated about the work that my party and I are doing. Please follow me on Twitter @rajeev_mp Thank you, Rajeev Chandrasekhar Member of Parliament”

Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Responded