Mumbai: Bombay High Court has asked state govt whether it has a scheme to assist girls who are survivors of sexual assault and are required to undergo medical termination of pregnancy to become self-reliant.“In our view, financial assistance alone may not provide a sustainable solution in the long run. However, if such a girl is imparted appropriate skills or is enabled to pursue her education, she may become self-reliant and would not have to depend upon financial assistance granted by this court,” said Justices Bharati Dangre and Ashish Chavan on Monday.On Oct 9, they allowed MTP of the 28-week pregnancy of a 15-year-old sexual assault survivor and directed the petition to be tagged with two other petitions where two teenaged survivors were allowed to terminate their 25-week pregnancies. In a few matters, HC had indicated to the state to suggest some “methodology” by which such survivors “are assisted in any manner”.State’s advocate M P Thakur submitted a Govt Resolution (GR) issued by the women and child development department that set out a scheme under the Juvenile Justice Act and its rules.The judges noted the GR covers “various categories of children who are victims of offences” under the POCSO Act but “does not specifically identify this category…”“A girl who is a victim of an offence under the POCSO Act falls in a completely different category,” the bench said. “It is not necessary that, in every such case, she must be admitted to an institution or an observation home. Rather, the focus should be on enabling her to overcome the trauma with the assistance of her family members, while simultaneously making arrangements for her future so that she can become self-reliant and secure a means of livelihood.”The judges said they “expect” Thakur to obtain instructions whether women and child development or social welfare departments have formulated any scheme “for the benefit of girls falling in this category”.The judges also asked to check with the women and child development commissioner whether there exists any scheme “specifically” for survivors of offences under POCSO Act, “apart from Manodhairya scheme, or whether any other scheme which provides financial assistance to such victims”.
