Only 3% of accused convicted in rape cases in Prakasam

Ongole: Every year, a greater number of girls in Prakasam district are falling prey to the rapes perpetrated in the form of their uncles, cousins and even their fathers, reveals the records. In the cases registered by the police, just less than 3 per cent of the accused are proven guilty and sentenced to jail by the court, claims the data by the authorities.

To protect children from such incidents, the government introduced Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) in 2012. It is established to protect the children against offences like sexual abuse, sexual harassment and pornography.

As per the Act, the instigation, filing charge sheets and the trial should be completed by one year from the date of complaint. The recent amendment to the Act says that those who abused children below 12 years of age can be punished with a death sentence.

Even though the Act seems to be powerful, the rate of convictions is very less. Since 2013, about 212 attempt to rape or sexual abuse cases were registered in the district, but only 14 cases completed trials and the accused were convicted. Similarly, 274 cases of rapes on girls’ children were registered in the district, but convictions are made in only 9 cases.

NVS Rammohan Rao, secretary of HELP organisation and BV Sagar, national award winning paralegal volunteer, said that most of sexual offences on children are attempted by family members or people close to the family. It is the confidence of perpetrator, that the victim children cannot narrate the incident to their parents, encouraging them to commit the heinous crime.

They revealed that most offenders are aged 50 plus years but living alone after the demise of their wife. The youth influenced by the porn videos are also abusing children in their families or in the neighborhood. They said that the HELP organisation and Childline 1098 are rescuing the vulnerable children and fighting in the court to see maximum punishment is given to the perpetrator.

They said that the District Legal Services Authority chairman MG Priyadarsini and its secretary T Raja Venkatadri are very instrumental in seeing the victims gets relief as per the POCSO Act.

A senior police officer in the district said that accused or his family members are easily influencing the family of the victim by force or money and that is the reason many incidents are not being registered.

He said the teenaged girls are being influenced by TV serials and are easily falling prey to people in the name of love and losing their bright future. He said that creating more awareness on the laws and publicising the verdicts in the cases helps in creating a fear in public and can save children from abusers.