The Ministry of Women and Child Development, in a reply to Rajya Sabha by Minister of State Smt. Savitri Thakur, outlined the government's initiatives for child safety and security. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, defines a child as any person below 18 years and was amended in 2019 to introduce more stringent punishment, including death penalty, for sexual crimes against children, aiming to deter perpetrators. The POCSO Rules, 2020, provide a child-friendly legal framework, with Rule 4 specifying the appointment of Support Persons by the Child Welfare Committee to assist children during investigation and trial; Support Persons are recognized by the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) and are responsible for facilitating support services, keeping the child and family informed, coordinating with authorities, safeguarding the child's best interests, and maintaining confidentiality. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has issued 'Model Guidelines with respect to Support Persons under Section 39 of the POCSO Act, 2012', which detail the constitution of a Selection Committee for empanelment, prescribe qualifications and roles, and lay down procedures for selection and deployment, with the primary objective of providing emotional and psychological support to child victims. NCPCR also developed the POCSO Tracking Portal for real-time monitoring of cases and tracking Support Person appointments. Implementation of the POCSO Act and Rules, including Support Person deployment, is the responsibility of State Governments and Union Territory Administrations, with the Ministry regularly issuing advisories, convening review meetings, undertaking capacity-building initiatives, and following up with states and UTs to strengthen enforcement.