So No Child Walks Alone: India Launches First Certificate Course for Support Persons in Sexual Abuse Cases
New Delhi : To meet the growing demand for support persons following the Supreme Court’s 2023 directive mandating their appointment in all child sexual abuse cases, C-LAB has launched a first-of-its-kind Certificate Course for Support Persons in Dealing with Cases of Child Sexual Abuse. The Centre for Legal Action and Behaviour Change (C-LAB) for Children is India’s premier institution dedicated to strengthening child protection through the implementation of the rule of law. It is important to note that the number of registered cases under the POCSO Act rose by over 300% between 2019 and 2022, creating a significant gap between the number of trained support persons and the children who urgently need them. Support persons play a crucial role in guiding child victims and are a constant source of support and strength, handholding them from emotional counselling to navigating the legal battle with them.
Acknowledging their significance in such cases, the Apex Court had underlined that the State must provide Support Persons to child victims and that the appointment of support persons must be made mandatory in all such cases. This one judgment ensured that over 2.39 lakh child victims of sexual offences who were awaiting justice would be able to benefit and be guided by support persons. However, the paucity of such trained professionals has made the wait long and uphill for most states.
Speaking at the launch of the course, Bhuwan Ribhu, Founder, Just Rights for Children, said, “Justice is not only measured by verdicts but by the dignity with which a child is treated throughout the process. Support persons are often the silent force behind this journey, guiding, protecting and grounding families in their most vulnerable moments. Whether in courtrooms, police stations or hospitals, they hold space for truth, healing and resilience. This initiative by C-LAB goes beyond training; it is a step toward systemic transformation. When they do it right, they don’t just help a child survive, they reassure the child that justice is possible.” Bhuwan Ribhu was invited as the first faculty to take the inaugural session.
Bridging the Justice Gap: India’s First Certificate Course to Train Support Persons for POCSO Cases
•C-LAB launches first ever Certificate Course for Support Persons in Child Sexual Abuse cases
•The Supreme Court of India, in 2023, had mandated that all POCSO cases must be provided with a support person
•Support person plays a crucial role in guiding child victims and their families from providing psychological first-aid to handholding them during their legal battle
The first-ever 10-week course, which will be a blend of online and in-person classes, assignments and field work, aims to equip support persons with the knowledge and skills required to deal with victims of child sexual abuse and their families, and ensure that a child’s journey from a victim to a survivor is neither lonely nor uninformed.
Throwing further light on this unique course, Dr Sangita Gaur, Course Director, said, “Despite a strong legal framework like POCSO, thousands of our children still linger in the corridors of courtrooms or remain hidden in their homes, with no support or guidance available to them. They need to be handled with sensitivity, their trauma addressed with care, and it is equally important that they are made aware of the rights they are entitled to. A trained support person can walk with them through this entire process and ensure that their dignity is not further bruised and justice prevails for them.” She further added that any individual currently working with child victims of abuse, as a support person or a social worker entering the child protection system can enroll in this course.
Some of the curriculum highlights include child rights and child protection basics, POCSO and basic legal procedures in child sexual abuse cases, the roles and responsibilities of support persons, supporting and navigating the compensation and rehabilitation of victims, and building child-friendly communication and trauma-sensitive skills. One of the key highlights of the course is the psychological first aid training to support persons when dealing with child victims. Support persons who are the first line of defence for the victims of sexual abuse need to be sensitised when handling and gauging them. Experts and noted personalities from the fields of law, mental health, and social work have been roped in as faculty members of the course.
C-LAB has been incubated by India Child Protection, a leading child rights protection organisation dedicated to combating child sexual abuse and related crimes, including child trafficking, exploitation of children in the digital space, and child marriage.