The POCSO Act

Nowadays, Most of us were hearing the word " Arrested Under POCSO Act " frequently, In switching the TV channels and scrolling down the social media posts. But we aren't much aware of POCSO Act. We have to know, what is happening around us!

Let Us Know ...😉

What is POCSO Act?

           The Acronym of POCSO - The Protection Of Children from Sexual Offence, Act 2012. The Act came into existence on 14th November 2012. This statute has 9 Chapters and 46 Sections. The Act seeks to protect children (Aged under 18) from offences such as,

          1.Penetrative Sexual Assault.
          2.Aggravated Sexual Assault.
          3.Sexual Assault.
          4.Sexual Harassment.
          5.Child Pornography.

What are the punishments under this Act?

          If any cases have filed under this act they can't be withdrawn in any situation and There is no provision for bail in the POCSO Act. The punishments may differ, according to the Section number. Which includes  Fine, Imprisonment, Life Sentence, Death sentence. From the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill - 2019, Notable changes were passed and the punishments were severe. It is important to remember that POCSO is not just applicable in cases of physical sexual crimes, but also ones that happen over the internet.

Records in Numbers!

         The committee noted that cases registered under POCSO rose from 32,608 in 2017 to 47,325 in 2019 – an increase of nearly 45% in two years. The National Crime Record Bureau's (NCRB) stated that as many as 1,48,185 crimes against children were reported in 2019 in the country and has revealed that crimes against children increased by 4.5 per cent in 2019 as compared to 2018.

I hope, you have known some stuff about this act. If you want to know any other topics, comment below. Stay tuned for the upcoming updates.

                                                              - Being Hari

To know in detail - POCSO Act 2012 and POCSO Amendment 2019.