Show maturity while handling crime against women,kids: SC judge tells media

Kochi: Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph on Saturday urged media to show maturity while handling issues related to atrocities against women and children in the country.

At the UK-supported Learning and Sharing Workshop in Kerala to help prevent and tackle violence against Women here, Justice Joseph said the media trial of the way the crime is committed "is actually spoiling the minds of young children."

He hailed the "maturity" shown by French government and media in handling the coverage of Paris terror attack and expressed hope that the Indian media would also adopt similar approach while reporting crime, particularly against women and children.

"You must have seen how France dealt with the issue now. Did you see any video footage, any audios...Any press conference were conducted by ministers or police officers there...?"

"The maturity they have shown in handling the case...The maturing shown by media... I request my friends in media while handling the cases like atrocities against women, atrocities against children, you can certainly expose the criminals but never do the description of a crime or the way the crime is committed and the tools used (for committing crime). This actually pollutes the mind of youngsters," he said.

Government should invoke necessary provisions in the law to deal with those who come out with "obscene advertisements" which show women and children in bad light, he said.

Referring to "awkward and obscene" advertisements of an ayurvedic capsule claiming to boost sexual health, Justice Joseph said the government should conduct operations against those who come out with such "indecent advertisements" which are against womanhood.

"While we think about atrocities against women, we must also think about atrocities against womanhood," he said.

Justice Joseph also expressed hope that the Kerala Home Ministry would take action against yellow publications in the state which "pollutes minds of young children and youth."

He also released Malayalam version of two UK-supported Booklets for Violence against Women practitioners and survivors in Kerala--'Locating the Survivor in the Indian Criminal Justice System: Decoding the Law' and 'Frequently Asked Questions: A Guide for Survivors of Sexual Violence'.

Dignitaries, including eminent lawyer Indira Jaising, Rudy Fernandez, head, Public Affairs, British Deputy High Commission, Chennai and Beena Sebastian, Chairperson, Cultural Academy for Peace (Ernakulam) also addressed the workshop.