Nagaland: Cases registered under POCSO Act tripled in last 3 years

Registrations of cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, 2012 in Nagaland witnessed a three-fold rise from 2020 to 2021, however, there was a relatively high pendency of cases, revealed data that was tabled in the Lok Sabha on December 9.

According to data provided by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, citing data from the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), the number of cases registered under the POCSO Act 2021 increased by 158.33 per cent from 12 in 2019 to 31 in 2021. In 2020, there were 18 registrations. In 2021, there were 30 Cases of Charge-sheeted (CCS) out of 31 registrations.

In a similar vein, the number of people arrested in accordance with the POCSO Act has almost tripled over the past three years, going from 14 in 2019 to 39 in 2021, or a 178.57 per cent increase.

The Act also saw an increase in the number of People Charged Sheeted (PCS), which went from 13 in 2019 to 36 in 2021.

The data also indicated that the conviction rate was extremely low, even though the majority of cases were sent to trials. For instance, 30 cases were sent to trial in 2021, but only 4 were found guilty. There were only 1 and 6 convictions in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

As a result, the number of cases awaiting trial at the end of the year was high for each of the three years, at 61, 69, and 94 in 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively.

In 2021, the POCSO Act was used to register 51863 cases across India, resulting in the arrest of 63992 individuals. In 2021, the Act resulted in the convictions of a total of 6080 individuals.

In the meantime, in a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, WCD Minister Zubin Irani stated that the Indian government has been implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme since October 2019 to establish 1023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including 389 exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) courts, to expedite the trial and resolution of cases involving rape and the POCSO Act.
 
She stated that a total of 681 FTSCs, including 381 e-POCSO Courts, are currently operational in 27 States or Union Territories and that the Scheme has been extended until March 31, 2023.

The Minister responded that the "reasons for the majority of child sexual abuse cases ending in an acquittal are not maintained separately by NCRB, MHA" in response to a related question about why the majority of cases involving child sexual abuse result in acquittals.

According to the Minister, the POCSO Act of 2012 established safeguards for children against sexual abuse and was amended in 2019 to include the death penalty for those who commit sexual crimes against children. This was done in an effort to deter the perpetrators and prevent such crimes against children.

She stated that Section 43 of the POCSO Act, 2012 mandates that the Central Government and each State Government make every effort to make the Act's provisions widely known.

In addition, the WCD informed the public of the new POCSO Rules, 2020, which took the place of the previous POCSO Rules, 2012, and mandated that the "central government and every state government shall prepare age-appropriate educational material and curriculum for children, informing them about various aspects of personal safety."

She added that the Rules stipulated that appropriate content and information may be distributed by the respective governments in all public places and in the appropriate form on the internet and social media.

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