Salabhakoodu, a haven for children at the Thiruvananthapuram district court campus

Facilitated by the Sakhi Women’s Resource Centre and supported by the Technopark-based RM India, Salabhakoodu was set up by the DLSA in April this year

On Saturday, as a woman litigant waited to be heard at the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) on the district court premises at Vanchiyoor in the city, she brought her restive toddler into Salabhakoodu, a child-friendly space on the first floor of the court complex. The child spent many happy minutes there, even as the mother was spared a tantrum. Later, an older child arrived there for counselling along with her parents. Once counselling was over, the girl played with toys and explored the games, books, and aquarium that make Salabhakoodu a space that children feel comfortable in.

Facilitated by the Sakhi Women’s Resource Centre and supported by the Technopark-based RM India, Salabhakoodu was set up by the DLSA in April this year to provide assistance to children involved in legal proceedings or those in need of support such as counselling. Children accompanying adults involved in litigation or those reaching the DLSA for legal services also come to Salabhakoodu.

The one-of-its-kind initiative is part of the attempts to establish child support centres in all DLSAs under the Kerala Legal Services Authority’s Child Legal Assistance Programme (CLAP), says J. Sandhya, lawyer and secretary of the Sakhi Women’s Resource Centre.

Salabhakoodu functions from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Saturday (except second Saturday). It is staffed by child psychologist Megha P. and social worker S. Ramanand.

When needed, children and parents together are given counselling here. Every Saturday, parents who have been given visitation rights by the family court to meet their children on the basis of a guardian-ward petition can do so at Salabhakoodu in the presence of the two staff members. At present, around eight families utilise this space for interaction. CLAP panel lawyers also use the facility to meet children so as to hear their independent points of view.

Salabhakoodu has a video conferencing system to enable children to give statements without physically going to the court.

The Salabhakoodu staff also suo motu inquire into reports of violation of child rights that appear in the media and initiate action on directions from the DLSA secretary. For instance, they had conducted an inquiry and pre-litigation hearing into the closure of a city Corporation nursery school at Beemapally, and in the case of wild animal attacks at Government Upper Primary School, Ponmudi. Other cases it has intervened in include the recent disappearance of an Assamese girl from the city and administration of wrong injection to a child at a hospital here.