POCSO Act and some grim realities
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO) was celebrated to a large extent and remains a welcoming step. It attempts to curb child sexual abuse but at least did we realize its bareness and its defectiveness. It is imperative to identify and either replace or amend its shortcomings with a more effective law or an amendment[s] as statistics stands as witness.
The National Crime Record Bureau's “Crime in India" reports reveal that new cases registered under POCSO have significantly increased by 4.5% in crimes against children resulting in 1,48,185 crimes against children in India. The highest numbers of child rapes were recorded in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of crimes against girl children under the P