Prevent sexual abuse of children, says NCPCR

Tirupati: National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Chairman Priyank Kanoongo has said the judiciary and police departments should work in tandem to contain the crime against women including children and sought more efforts from them to strengthen Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012.

After inauguration of one-day regional conference on National Commission for Protection of Child Rights(NCPCR) by TTD JEO Sada Bhargavi at SV Medical College auditorium on Saturday, Priyank Kanoongo said 2/3rd of registered cases in POCSO were not standing in the court due to lack of proper evidence in the country and informed that 42 per cent of below 18 years living in India and 19 percent of children have turned daily labourers or bonded laborers in the country.

TTD JEO Sada Bhargavi said the TTD has been conducting awareness programmes among students studying in their institutions on the rights and acts of the children, acts regarding sexual offences, about POCSO through police, legal and psychologists regularly.

The meeting stressed on collective efforts of both judiciary and police departments to check the sexual abuse against the minors.

The NCPCR has organised a one-day southern region consultative meeting on 'POCSO: Factors Hindering the Implementation and aspects of assistance to victims' where the officers from judicial and police departments from various southern states including AP, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and Union Territory Andaman and Nicobar islands attended.

It may be noted here that NCPCR sought the cooperation of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), National Forensic Science University (NFSU), Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPS) and Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR & D) in eradicating the crimes against children in the country.

According to 2020 data, NCPCR found 4 states in southern India out of 10 states which registered large number of child crimes. About 3,030 cases were registered in Tamil Nadu, 2,163 cases in Kerala, 2,104 in Karnataka and 2,074 in Telangana.

Various speakers from different states opined that to convict an accused in the sexual assault crime, concrete evidences which should be provided by police department only.

Later, faculty in-charge for children Dr KP Iliyas from SVPNPS and NFSU Criminology Chair Professor Beulah Shekhar clarified the doubts of police officials and NALSA secretaries in the session.

NCPCR member secretary Rupali Banerjee Singh, SV Medical College Principal P Chandra Sekharan, NALSA Member Secretary Ashok Kumar Jain and others were present.