Overview

• The state-level consultation took place Sunday in Vijayawada at Thummalapalli Kalakshetram from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., jointly organised by the High Court’s Juvenile Justice Committee, the State Women and Child Welfare Department, and the A.P. State Legal Services Authority.
• Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur urged schools to run POCSO awareness programmes for boys in Classes IX and X and emphasized the need to reduce gender discrimination.
• Bombay High Court Justice Revati Mohite Dere called for a multi‑faceted approach that empowers girls through education, trains police and the judiciary, improves safety infrastructure, and engages communities.
• The meeting is part of a Supreme Court‑mandated annual review of child protection systems and brought together judges, UNICEF officials, and representatives from health, education, police, and social welfare departments.
• Participants reviewed POCSO and Juvenile Justice implementation gaps and discussed strategies to strengthen prevention, victim care, and cross‑sector coordination.