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). Against this backdrop, Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi’s scathing observations on the pathetic implementation of POCSO Act can only evoke anger and horror. 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.

Source: dna April 19, 2018 00:45 UTC