Recording a very disturbing trend, the State police had last year registered an eye-popping over 10,000 per cent rise in sexual offences cases against children under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
The year 2016 has seen registration of a whopping 1,928 cases under POCSO Act 2012 vis-à-vis a mere 19 in 2015 and 109 in 2014, though the State police are yet to submit the final reports on the registered cases in 2016. But the provisional numbers thus show a humungous spurt in sexual offences cases against the children in the State in 2016.
More troubling fact also for the State is the total crimes against children in Odisha had jumped by over 28 per cent in 2016 over the 17 per cent rise in 2015.
And, sexual crimes under section 377 like rapes, disrobing, outraging modesty etc. together constituted a whopping 60 per cent of the total of over 3,286 final cases registered in 2016.
However, NGOs working for children welfare didn’t call it an alarming rise as they still termed it an understatement.
“The meteoric spurt in POCSO cases in State is not surprising given that nearly 70lakh children in the age-group of 7-12 years are vulnerable to sexual abuse. Rather, what looks assuring is people have started reporting and the State police too are registering the cases under POCSO, which is more stringent and offer more provisions for the child victims than the cases registered earlier by police under the IPC section 377 (rape),” an observer said.
A detailed analysis of the 2016 data reveals that nearly 74 per cent of POCSO cases have been registered by the State police under section 8 of the Act, which is charged for any sexual assault on a child that includes disrobing, harassment and outraging modesty etc. Cases of rapes described under POCSO Act as penetrative sexual assault and use of child for pornographic purposes together constitutes around 25 per cent of the total POCSO cases. Moreover, the victims in the State are mostly in the age-group of 7-12 years and the offenders are persons (neighbours, close relatives or family friends) who have easy access to the girl child, reveals the analysis.
The analysis also brings to fore the burdensome districts that throw up mostly 75 per cent of the POCSO cases in the State.
While Mayurbhanj, Baleswar, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Keonjhar reported the lion’s share, Kendrapada and Kalahandi also figure in the burdensome district list. However, the capital city Bhubaneswar is not immune to the disgusting trend as, incidentally, the high profile case of involvement of Ollywood actor Pappu Pom Pom in POCSO case hit the headlines in 2016 only.
Activists feel the reason behind rising POCSO cases in Odisha is nil conviction, since the Act is in force in State. Trials in nearly 200 cases under the POCSO Act are pending till date, and the reason is the State Government has designated the courts of the First Additional Sessions Judge in each of the 30 revenue districts as courts for POCSO cases in 2015, when the Act came into force in 2012.
THREATNING TREND
Year 2016 records 1,928 POCSO cases 2015 had recorded only 19 such cases Crimes as a whole against children up 28% Most victims belong to below 12 years Zero convictions boost morale of assaultersTrial of 200 cases under POCSO pending