SHRC seeks steps to check child pornography

Sensitise students, parents to cybercrimes, officials told

The Kerala State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has directed the Inspector General of Police, Crime Branch, to take necessary steps and develop effective methods to curb child pornography and other sexual crimes against children in the State. Acting on a petition filed by a human rights activist in Kannur, Commission member K. Byjunath had sought reports from the Director of General Education as well as the IGP of the Crime Branch. The Commission has come up with a set of recommendations for schools as well as the police in this regard. The petitioner had sought the SHRC’s intervention in directing the Home Department to take steps to curb child pornography, as the police was allegedly slow in taking action in this regard. He also sought a direction to cyber experts to look into darknet and social media platforms such as Instagram and Telegram to track such cases. Along with this, the petitioner sought the intervention of departments of education, health and police to appoint a clinical psychologist in every school in the State and sensitise children to crimes against them. The Director of General Education informed the Commission in a report that appointing a clinical psychologist in every school would bring a huge financial burden to the government and instead suggested counselling classes in collaboration with the Health Department or utilising services of counsellors in high schools more effectively.