Policy Recommendation
Solving for the mental strength, emotional well-being and physical safety of India's children at scale requires two things:
Direct equitable access for children to supporting community members
Ability of supporting community members to take corrective action if situations harm the life and safety of children
The first point is addressed through the primary rails built through BBS of
AI Interface for foundational questions
Open discovery and connections with licensed child counsellors
Open discovery and connections with registered child NGOs
Majority of the cases will be able to be resolved through the ecosystem unlocked in the aforementioned points itself.
But there may be critical cases where the intervention of police and courts are necessary. POCSO also establishes mandatory reporting The mechanism today of physically reaching police stations to file a case for children is unsustainable. In many cases:
The child cannot reach the police station due to socio-economic barriers (time, money, effort, travel)
The supporting ecosystem cannot support the child to reach the police station (if the child resides in a shelter home or juvenile justice home or even a private home when the case is against the primary caregivers of the said child)
Even if the child reaches the police station, it may not be possible to expect every local police station to have officers who trained in dealing with the sensitivities surrounding cases against children.
Due to this, unlocking for eFIR fillings in all cases where the life and safety of minors is threatened would be a powerful step towards complying with mandatory reporting requirements and ensuring a smooth, safe experience for children who have just endured major physical ordeals. Supporting unlocks:
The eFIR could be filed by any licensed child-therapist or registered NGO (community members) on behalf of a child.
The child's video testimony could be digitally signed and recorded by the community members through remote or physical means
Any proof such as testimonies or proof could also be digitally signed and recorded through remote or physical means
The mobile number and email address required could be that of the community member since the child may not have one of their own and their primary caregivers may not be comfortable providing theirs.
eFIR filling is already live in India for cases such as traffic violations, it is our earnest request to expand this to even cover cases where our children are in immediate danger.
The eFIR filling is backed by community support to ensure that the child and family are hand-held through what can be an intimidating process
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