DNA Edit: Justice for children

The National Crime Records Bureau data for 2016 threw up a blood-curdling trend. Incidents of rape of children had shot up by over 82 per cent compared to 2015. In just about a year, an increase of 8,911 cases of the worst forms of child abuse was registered, which also included crimes under sections 4 and 6 of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO). Fast forward to 2018, the rapes in Kashmir and Surat have triggered shock and disgust along with vociferous criticisms of the state of law and order in India.

Against this backdrop, Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi’s scathing observations on the pathetic implementation of POCSO Act can only evoke anger and horror. The statistics he put forth at a rally in Andhra Pradesh – out of 15,000 cases, conviction was achieved in just 4 per cent, acquittals stood at 6 per cent, and pendency was at an overwhelming 90 per cent – revealed shocking gaps between intent and implementation. While awareness of child abuse has increased exponentially, the system lacked adequate measures to deal with the growing number of cases. While the lower courts, already overburdened with a huge number of backlog cases, couldn’t devote adequate time for POCSO cases, the need for measures such as ensuring that every court hearing is child-friendly and caring for victims during the trial, was also amply evident.

For instance, less than a week ago, the Rajasthan High Court summoned the chief secretary and principal secretary (labour) for not complying with its directions on the setting up of special courts under POCSO Act. It was only this month that a special court for the trial of offences under the POCSO Act was inaugurated in Hyderabad when the Act itself is six years old. One thing is clear: Oscillating between outrage and criminal indifference won’t make the world a safe place for our children.