The Supreme Court has directed Legal Services Authorities to ensure that children who have experienced sexual assault receive counseling from trained child counselors or psychologists to assist them in recovering from the trauma. Justices Abhay S. Oka and Pankaj Mithal, constituting the bench, have also emphasized the importance of the State guaranteeing these children’s continued access to education.
In their directive, the bench stressed that when a child falls victim to sexual assault, both the State and Legal Services Authorities should facilitate counseling by a qualified child counselor or child psychologist. This psychological support is deemed essential to help these young survivors overcome the trauma they have endured, thereby providing them with the opportunity for a better future.
The Supreme Court has underscored that monetary compensation alone is insufficient and does not equate to genuine rehabilitation. The court suggested that the rehabilitation of young female victims should be integrated into the “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” (Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter) campaign of the Central Government. As a welfare State, it becomes the government’s duty to take such measures. The court has also directed that copies of this judgment be sent to the Secretaries of the relevant State departments.
These observations were made in response to a case in which the Rajasthan government challenged a decision by the Rajasthan High Court to reduce a convict’s sentence for the rape of a girl child from life imprisonment to 12 years. The Supreme Court has ruled that the convict must serve a sentence of 14 years without any provision for remission.
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