News In Shorts

SC lays down guidelines to evaluate evidence of victims in child trafficking cases.

• Court observed that child trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children is a “deeply disturbing reality” in India.

Guidelines to evaluate evidence of victims

• Vulnerability of Victim: Judicial scrutiny must recognise Socio-economic and cultural vulnerability of child victims.
• Minor inconsistencies in a trafficked child’s testimony must not discredit her evidence.
• Sole testimony of the victim is sufficient if it is credible and convincing.
• Secondary Victimisation: Recounting abuse causes psychological trauma, stigma and fear of retaliation. Judicial evaluation must show sensitivity and realism.
• A trafficked child: Must not be treated as an accomplice but as an “injured witness”, deserving due regard and credence.

NITI Aayog released Report on ‘Internationalization of Higher Education in India’.

A central pillar of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, internationalization focuses on transforming India’s domestic higher education ecosystem into a globally integrated system via -

• Enhanced international students and faculty ratio in Indian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs),
• Presence of local campuses of top global institutions in India,
• Expansion of Indian HEIs outside India, etc.

Why India needs internationalization of its higher education?

• Outward remittances: increased by over 2,000% in a decade, reaching nearly USD 3.4 billion in 2023–24 (~ 53% of India’s Union higher education budget).
• Democratization of Quality: 97% of Indian student in domestic institutions can avail high-quality, world-class education that aligns with global standards.
• Global Readiness: By embedding international benchmarks, faculty exchanges, and global curricula into Indian campuses, the country can prepare its massive workforce to be “world-ready” and competitive in the global talent pool.
• Other: Countering brain drain, harnessing the diaspora, improving the global rankings (e.g. higher international student and faculty ratios), soft power projection (e.g. offshore campuses like IIT Delhi in Abu Dhabi), etc.