POCSO Act: Centre Approves Death Penalty In Aggravated Sexual Offences

by Abbas Adil

New Delhi: In a move to strengthen child abuse law the Union cabinet on Friday approved death penalty in aggravated sexual offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal for amendment in the POCSO Act, 2012 to make punishment more stringent for committing sexual crimes against children.

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad at a press meet said “This is a very wholesome initiative by the Union government. The government has brought about a far-reaching amendment in the POCSO Act. Our aim is to prevent children from falling victim to sexual aggression.”

Mr Prasad claimed that the architecture of POCSO has not only been strengthened but also expanded through this move. “There are some who cause premature development in children through the administration of hormones to enhance their appeal in the sex trade and pornography industry. Doing this has now been made a major offence through Section 9 of the Act,” he said, adding that drugs should not be abused to “kill the childhood of a child” for extraneous purposes.

The POCSO Act, 2012 was enacted to Protect the Children from Offences of Sexual Assault, sexual harassment and pornography with due regard for safeguarding the interest and well being of children. The Act defines a child as any person below 18 years of age and regards the best interests and welfare of the child as a matter of paramount importance at every stage, to ensure the healthy physical, emotional, intellectual and social development of the child. The Act is gender neutral.

To discourage child sexual abuse, sections 4, 5 and 6 of POCSO are proposed to be amended to provide an option of stringent punishment including death penalty for committing aggravated penetrative sexual assault crime on a child to protect the children from sexual abuse.

The amendment in sections 4, 5, 6, 9, 14, 15 and 42 of POCSO Act, 2012, is made to address child sexual abuse in an appropriate manner. The modification is made to address the need for stringent measures required to deter the rising trend of child sex abuse in the country.

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