Assam judicial meet on AIDS

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Assam judicial meet on AIDS

STAFF REPORTER

Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan arrives for the colloquium on Saturday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, March 10: The increasing cases of HIV/AIDS and trafficking of girls in the Northeast have now caught the attention of the judiciary.

Speaking at a two-day judicial colloquium on Development of Policies and Programmes for the Northeastern Region Mandating Social Justice and Equality for Survivors of Trafficking and HIV/AIDS here today, Supreme Court Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan said the problems of HIV/AIDS and trafficking have assumed serious dimensions in the region.

"Despite high literacy levels in the Northeast, trafficking of women is still prevalent," Chief Justice Balakrishnan said, adding that the rehabilitation of the victims was also a matter of concern.

The colloquium is being held under the aegis of the National Legal Service Authority of India in association with the Assam State Legal Services Authority, the Indian Red Cross Society and the North Eastern Council and organised by the Gauhati High Court. Judges of the Supreme Court and legal luminaries of the region and elsewhere are taking part.

The most touching moment was when Ella Sangma, a rescued survivor from Arunachal Pradesh, requested the Chief Justice to set up a home for girls like her.

Chief Justice Balakrishnan also requested Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi to make a budget allocation for the development of courts in the state. "Nobody lobbies for us," Balakrishnan said.

P.P. Naolekar, judge in the Supreme Court, said despite having a legal framework, trafficking has persisted.

H.K. Sema, a Supreme Court judge, said prohibition has not been able to solve the problems for which it was promulgated in several states in the region. "Such legislation may turn out to be unproductive, as one cannot force people not to drink," he said. He said it is the people who have failed the law and not the other way round.

Gogoi agreed that total prohibition was not feasible. "In spite of existing legislation, crimes against women persist and somehow we have also failed to discharge our responsibilities," Gogoi said.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070311/asp/northeast/story_7498977.asp