Teen victim gets Rs 1 Lakh compensation

Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram Sessions Judge B. Sudheendra Kumar has directed the Social Justice Department to pay an interim compensation of Rs 1 lakh for the “welfare and rehabilitation” of a child-abuse victim.

This is the first time in the state that a child victim has been offered compensation under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012. The 15-year-old victim was repeatedly sexually abused by a 24-year-old boy,  a close relative of the victim’s mother,  who had been staying with the family.

The abuse  came to light only after the girl became pregnant. Once the incident became public, the family was forced to move out to a new place  where they were not recognized.  The father, a daily wage earner,  and the mother, a housemaid , lost their jobs. The victim and her younger sister, who was in her eighth standard, had to drop out of  school. The  Caesarean operation on the victim  pushed the family into deeper debt.

The police charged a case of sexual assault under section 3 and 5 of POSCO Act and the compensation was granted on the basis of section 7 of POSCO rules. Section 7 says: “The Special Court may, in appropriate cases, on its own or on an application filed by or on behalf of the child, pass an order for the  interim compensation to meet the immediate needs of the child for relief or rehabilitation at any stage after the registration of the FIR.”

The  judge  said in his order that a committee he had convened had “anxiously and unanimously decided that the victim is to be paid an immediate interim amount of Rs 1 lakh.”  The director of Social Justice  too  had recommended to the Social Justice secretary that the victim be granted an interim relief of Rs 1 lakh.