Death for child rape: Ordinance might not be the solution, says Save the Children

The capital punishment to the minors' rapists may not be the solution to the malady, which can be better tackled by effective implementation of the existing laws, said a prominent child protection group today, a day after the Union Cabinet cleared an ordinance providing for the death penalty for the offence of raping girls below 12.

A "massive backlog of rape cases, "lack" of rehabilitation support and psycho-social counselling to rape survivors and their family members are what need immediate attention, said the non profit group 'Save the Children' in a statement.

Death Penalty may not be the answer, said Bidisha Pillai from Save the Children. All of us need to ensure that all forms of abuse and harassment to the children are reported to the authorities, the key requisites which are not being met in the vast majority of cases, she said.
The government came up with one of the most progressive law - the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 - to end sexual violence against children followed by Criminal Amendment Act, 2013, she said.

"However, there has been no reduction of violence against children," she added.
The delivery of justice for crimes reported against children needs to be expedited by pooling more resources and making it survivor-centric, strengthening the existing Integrated Child Protection Scheme and other support services, said the statement.

The Union Cabinet cleared a stringent ordinance yesterday providing for lengthy jail terms and even the death penalty for sex offenders convicted for raping girls below the age of 12 years and life-long jail term for the gang rape of a victim below 16.
The new Ordinance also provides for establishment of new fast-track courts to deal with the offence of rape against girls below 12 years of age and supplying special forensic kits to all police stations and hospitals in the long term to help expeditions probe into rape cases.