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In the ongoing monsoon session, the central government has revealed details about sexual abuse cases against children under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The government was asked to answer questions on the rising trend of cases under the Act, the conviction rate, and the number of fast-track courts dealing with POCSO cases. The Ministry of Women and Child Development, however, was unable to provide data from 2020.
Cases under POCSO from 2015 to 2019
The year 2019 recorded the highest number of cases registered under POCSO at 47,335 when compared with previous years. Out of this number, 53,555 people have been charge-sheeted but only 6,994 people have been convicted and sent to prison.
39,827 cases had been registered in the year 2018 and 5,297 people had been convicted under the Act. The year 2017 saw 4,500 people convicted of crimes under POCSO and 2016 saw 3,859 people. There is also a huge difference between people arrested and people who eventually get convicted.
Year | Persons arrested | Persons convicted |
2015 | 41,090 | 4,567 |
2016 | 42,196 | 3,859 |
2017 | 40,488 | 4,500 |
2018 | 48,750 | 5,297 |
2019 | 57,316 | 6,994 |
Uttar Pradesh has topped the list each year from 2015 to 2016 with the maximum number of people convicted under the POCSO Act, indicating the terrible state of affairs.
Fast track courts
In a separate response provided by the Women and Child Development Ministry on July 30, the Parliament was apprised that, through a centrally sponsored scheme, some 1,023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) have been set up, including 389 Exclusive POCSO Courts for expeditious trial and disposal of rape and POCSO cases.
But out of 1,023 FTSCs, only 640 are functional across 26 States and Union Territories, and 338 Exclusive POCSO Courts out of 389. A total of only 40 cases have been disposed of in the fast-track courts and 484 cases have been disposed of in POCSO courts up until May, 2021.
Goa and Jammu and Kashmir are yet to operationalise FTSCs. Furthermore, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Island and Arunachal Pradesh have still not joined the Scheme for setting up special courts.
Pendency rate
In the year 2019, 47,335 cases were registered under POCSO and the cases pending trial at the end of the year stood at 1,33,068. These figures are way higher than 2017 and 2018. In the year 2017, 32,608 cases were registered and by the end of the year, 84143 cases were pending trial.
In 2018, 1,08,129 POCSO cases were pending for trial against a total number of 39,827 registered cases.
SabrangIndia also reported that between 2017 to 2019, as many as 1,340 cases were registered against caretakers or persons in charge of Juvenile Homes for abuse of children lodged in these Homes. The NCRB data says that in 2017, a total of 297 persons were arrested for crimes against children in CCIs, and in that only 13 persons were convicted. In the year 2018, the figure of persons arrested for these crimes increased drastically to 727 and the rate of conviction remained low at 14.
The answers may be read here:
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