‘The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012’ in Clinical Settings

Promises and Challenges

Authors

  • Aloka Joy Consultant Psychiatrist, Institute for mind and brain, Thrissur
  • Manoj Kumar Therayil Honorary Director, Institute for mind and brain, Thrissur; Consultant Psychiatrist, St George Hospital Stafford, UK ; Senior Lecturer, keele University, UK
  • Vasudevan VT Namboodiri Vasudevan Namboodiri, Consultant Psychiatrist, Institute for mind and brain, Thrissur

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30834/KJP.31.2.2018.166

Keywords:

child sexual abuse, POCSO, challenges

Abstract

Many of us feel overwhelmed while handling a child abuse case in a busy outpatient unit. Though ‘The Protection of children from sexual offences act, 2012’ is strictly in action now, it possesses a lot of imperfections which challenges its effective implementation. This article highlights the strengths of the act and at the same time reflects the ethical and legal dilemmas we usually encounter in our day to day practice.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child. Available from https://www.unicef.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Our-rights_UNCRC.pdf

SAARC Convention on Regional Arrangements for the Promotion of Child Welfare in South Asia. Available from http://saarc-sec.org/digital_library/detail_menu/saarc-convention-on-regional-arrangements-for-the-promotion-of-child-welfare-in-south-asia

Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India. The Constitution of India. Available from http://www.legislative.gov.in/constitution-of-india

Kacker LI, Varadan S, Kumar P. Study on child abuse, India 2007: Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. Available from https://www.childlineindia.org.in/pdf/MWCD-Child-Abuse-Report.pdf

Asian centre for Human Rights. India’s Hell Holes; Child Sexual Assault in Juvenile Justice homes, 2013. Available from http://www.achrweb.org/reports-/india/Indias-HellHoles2013.pdf

Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The Indian Penal code, 1860. Available from https://indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/2263?sam_handle=123456789/1362

Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. Available from https://indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/2055?view_type=browse&sam_handle=123456789/1362

Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2007. Available from http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/270279/national-rehabilitation-and-resettlement-policy-2007/

Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. Available from https://indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/2148/1/201602.pdf

Ministry of women and child development, Government of India. National Plan of Action for Children 2016. Available from http://wcd.nic.in/sites/default/files/National%20Plan%20of%20Action_0.pdf

Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. Available from https://indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/2079?view_type=search&sam_handle=123456789/1362

Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. The National Policy for children 2013. Available from https://childlineindia.org.in/pdf/The-National-Policy-for-Children-2013.pdf

Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The criminal law amendment act, 2013. Available from http://harsamay.gov.in/PDF/The_Criminal_Law_(Amendment)_ACT_2013.pdf

Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Criminal law amendment act, 2018. Available from https://mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/CSdivTheCriminalLawAct_14082018_0.pdf

National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Crime in India,2016.Available from http://ncrb.gov.in/StatPublications/CII/CII2016/pdfs/NEWPDFs/Crime%20in%20India%20-%202016%20Complete%20PDF%20291117.pdf

Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 1973. Available from https://indiacode.nic.in/acts/11.%20Code%20of%20Criminal%20Procedure,%201973.pdf

Human Rights Watch. Everyone blames me - Barriers to Justice and Support Services for Sexual Assault Survivors in India; 2017. Available from https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/11/08/everyone-blames-me/barriers-justice-and-support-services-sexual-assault-survivors

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. Use handbook on Protection of children from sexual offences act. Available from http://ncpcr.gov.in/showfile.php?lang=1&level=1&sublinkid=1290&lid=1514

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971. Available from https://indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/1593?view_type=search&sam_handle=123456789/1362

The Indian Majority Act, 1875.Available from http://theindianlawyer.in/statutesnbareacts/acts/i27.html

Downloads

Published

24-07-2019

How to Cite

Joy, A., M. K. Therayil, and V. V. Namboodiri. “‘The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012’ in Clinical Settings: Promises and Challenges”. Kerala Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 31, no. 2, July 2019, doi:10.30834/KJP.31.2.2018.166.

Issue

Section

Psychiatry in Kerala