The Dark Side Of Assam: Alarming Rise In Cases Of Child Sexual Abuse
The state witnessed a 55 per cent increase in cases registered under POCSO Act during the period 2017-19
Team TNE
Assam has witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of cases related to sexual offences against children.
Between 2017 and 2019, cases registered under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) 2012 had increased by 55 per cent in the state, a study released by Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) shows.
The total cases registered shot up to 1,179 in 2019 from 1,149 in 2017. During the same period, the total number of victims increased by 57 per cent — to 1,820 in 2019 from 1,159 in 2017.
The study, ‘Police case disposal pattern: An enquiry into the cases filed under POCSO Act, 2012’, shows that around 3,000 cases registered and investigated fail to reach court for a fair trial every year in the country and four child victims of sexual abuse are denied justice every day due to the closure of their cases by the police owing to insufficient evidence.
The total number of cases related to POCSO in the country increased from 39,827 in 2018 to 47,335 the following year marking an increase of 19 per cent. At the same time, the conviction rate had increased from 34.2 per cent in 2018 to 34.9 per cent in 2019.
The study was an analysis of the pattern of disposal by police of POCSO cases during 2017-19 and based on the data and information presented in the ‘Crime of India’ reports published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
The research unearthed that besides insufficient evidence, false reporting was a major factor for closure of POCSO cases.
The report has offered several recommendations to plug the loopholes in the justice delivery system. It has focused upon the importance of investigation by the police, establishment of a dedicated unit in every district for probe and fast-track special courts (FTSCs) to ensure justice in view of the huge pendency of these cases in courts across the country.
Founded by Nobel laureate Kailash Satyrthi, KSCF is a non-government organization working in the field of child rights.