Keywords: Kerala High Court, POCSO Act, SCERT, teenagers, KSLSA, POCSO awareness
The Kerala High Court while considering a case titled Anoop v State of Kerala & Ors. raised concerns about impact of POCSO Act on adolescents’ consensual sexual relationships.
The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), in accordance with the raised concern, has informed the Kerala High Court that awareness of the POCSO Act will be included in the school curriculum from the next academic year and textbooks would be prepared by experts with sensitivity to this issue.
The order passed on August 10 assured that awareness about POCSO will be positive for standards I, III, V, VI, VIII, and IX, while standards II, IV, VII, and X will be implemented from 2025-2026. After the curriculum is revised, workshops will be conducted for teachers. The court has rebuked the State government for delaying the implementation of its orders to create and include a prevention-oriented program on sexual abuse. The state government informed the court that a one-day training program was conducted in May this year for teachers regarding POCSO awareness, with around 1,12,000 attending.
The Kerala State Legal Services Authority also informed the court that higher secondary school teachers were given orientation classes under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. The court appreciates the efforts of the KELSA, the State, and the SCERT in implementing POCSO awareness through a revised curriculum for children and other methods.
Written by- Apoorva Chandra, College name – Aligarh Muslim University Centre, Malappuram, Semester- 3rd an intern under Legal Vidhiya
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