The Supreme Court of India has ordered a blanket ban on the publication of pictures and videos of child victims in cases related to sexual abuse after the pictures of those who were physically abused in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh were published by the media.
This ban was imposed by the court while hearing a matter related to sex abuse at government-run shelter home in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. The SC expressed serious concern over rising incidents of rape in the country. The SC, while quoting the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures, has stated that each day four women are getting raped, on the basis of the number of cases reported.
The Court has also taken a strong exception to the publication of images and telecast of videos of victims as it, in a way, compels the victims to relive the trauma time and again. The Court has made it clear that no one would be allowed to meet the inmates of the Muzaffarpur homes except National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPRC) and State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (SCPRC) who can interview them with the help of trained counselors.
In addition to this, the Court also ordered the arrest of the wife of one of the accused who had posted the name of a child victim on her facebook wall. Further, the Court slammed the Bihar Government for failing to prevent the abuse and it has also accused the government of funding the Muzaffarpur shelter home without checking its background since sexual abuse activities were taking place in it.Su