A New Dawn for Child Protection: Towards a Holistic and Compassionate Justice System

In a call for sweeping reforms, Supreme Court Judge Justice Surya Kant stressed the need for a fundamental shift in India's child protection framework. Speaking at the State-Level Meet 2025 on POCSO, he emphasized transforming the system to focus on children's holistic care instead of viewing them as mere witnesses.

Justice Kant advocated for meaningful restorative justice, highlighting systemic imbalances that often further traumatize victims. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy echoed these concerns, emphasizing the need to place child survivors at the heart of India's legal and moral frameworks against crimes against humanity.

Justice Kant praised Telangana's Bharosa Centres for their comprehensive support services and urged nationwide adoption of integrated, victim-centric models. He pointed out persistent gaps in the implementation of the POCSO Act, calling for trauma-informed investigations and child-sensitive courts to ensure justice and healing for child victims.

(With inputs from agencies.)