The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has recommended that family courts be equipped with child-friendly restroom, library, and facilities for fun and recreation to alleviate physical, mental, and emotional problems in children caused by long waits in connection with parental disputes.
Commission chairperson K.V. Manoj Kumar on Thursday handed over a report to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the problems faced by children of parents who have applied for divorce and the conditions in 35 family courts in the State.
The commission found that children of parents going through divorce faced a host of problems, including psychological and emotional issues such as anxiety, depression, mental agony, trust issues, fear, behavioural problems; physical problems such as poor appetite and sleep; and social problems such as isolation and stigmatisation. They were deprived of parental love and their likes and dislikes neglected.
The panel’s findings called for providing the services of counsellors in family courts, child experts associated with legal services authority, or clinical psychologist/mental health experts associated with child protection units so that children could share what they were going through as a result of parents’ divorce and address problems faced by them.
Awareness should be created about responsible parenting among parents so that overall development of children was not affected owing to divorce.
The commission underlined that children need be brought to court in connection with divorce cases only as per the directives of the Kerala High Court.
Court sittings should be held on Saturdays or school holidays so that children’s studies are not affected.
A digital conference hall should be set up in family courts so that children could interact with the parent living far away and the courts too could communicate with them.
Cases of parents coming to court with children should be heard on priority basis.
Courts should also specifically provide for living expenses of such children in the final order on a divorce petition. Strict action should also be taken as per law in the event a parent does not follow the order.
If a divorced parent is unable to pay the expenses for a child’s protection as decided in the final proceeding, assistance should be arranged through legal services authority or district child protection units, the commission said.
It recommended that a welfare fund be set up for a child by charging the petitioners in a family court and the respondents a specific sum. This money should be spent for the child’s welfare, studies, and health, especially in the case of differently abled children.
Mothers of infants coming to court should be provided with a separate room to rest and breastfeed their child.
The commission’s study report has been shared with other departments for action on the recommendations.
