Special Correspondent
Ranchi: The POCSO Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) needs to be implemented effectively; hence there is a need for wider public knowledge.
These remarks were made by advocate Yashaswini Sahay, who is connected to the Kailash Satyarthi Childrens Foundation.
While interacting with media, Ms. Sahay spoke about a number of issues in Jharkhand, such as child labour, human trafficking, sexual crimes, and sexual harassment, as well as the efforts being made by the organisation to address them.
The Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act, which was passed in 2012 with the goal of protecting children from sexual crimes, sexual harassment, and pornography, is not being successfully implemented, according to Ms. Sahay, who noted that this law was passed with consideration for the interests and safety of children in the nation. In addition to the governments efforts, NGOs and social workers are also working to make the POCSO Act effective.
She stated that Jharkhand is notorious across the nation for child labour and human trafficking. The majority of the population is unable to benefit from the laws created to combat sexual offences. By joining the Kailash Satyarthi Childrens Foundation, Ms. Sahay claimed that she is working towards the successful implementation of the POCSO Act. Through her visits to numerous educational facilities, schools, and other Jharkhand institutions, she underlined the crucial POCSO Act issues.
She visited Santosh College of Teachers Training and Education in Tupudana, Shine Abdurrazzak Ansari Institute of Health Education and Research Centre in Irba, Ranchi Institute of Human Development, Harmu Housing Colony and Chutiya with the goal of educating people about sexual harassment prevention and the POCSO Act. The rural areas she visited were Angara, Ormanjhi, and Nagdi. In Sonahatu, she also travelled to numerous rural villages.
She told that only 1324 incidents have been registered in Jharkhand since 2019 under the POCSO Act. According to the data received from the Police Headquarters, 239 cases have been registered in the year 2019, 306 in the year 2020, 284 in the year 2021, 338 in the year 2022 and 157 in 2023 till June.
Ms Sahay told that Jharkhand has the maximum number of cases of human trafficking in the whole country. The highest number of cases of human trafficking was found in five districts of the state (Dumka, Sahibganj, Pakur, Godda and Jamtara). She said that there is a need to implement the laws made to prevent sexual harassment, sexual crimes, human trafficking and child labour in an effective manner and she is making efforts in this direction.
She said that by visiting educational facilities, educating the students about the POCSO Act, urging the victims to seek legal protection, enforcing tough punishment for those found guilty of sexual offences and delivering justice to the victims as quickly as possible. This missions primary goal is to raise awareness regarding its implementation.
She claimed that because of ignorance, the majority of sexual crimes go unreported. The victims or their family members are still unwilling to visit the police station and file a FIR. Criminals are more motivated as a result. She also urged the agencies that provide legal help to take adequate action to stop child labour, human trafficking, and sexual offences.
Ms. Sahay stated that in addition to social organisations, media professionals play a significant part in raising literacy rates, particularly in rural regions, to raise peoples awareness of legal requirements. There is a need to establish fast-track courts, special courts at the government level, develop provisions for online FIRs of cybercrime, and make sexual crime prevention legislation effective in order to provide victims with justice as soon as feasible.
Ms. Sahay also made reference to the Supreme Courts and Bombay High Courts judgement to grant the victims access to the POCSO Acts benefits. In which the Supreme Court upheld the judgement of the Mumbai High Court and rendered justice to the victim in the case of Attorney General of India vs. Satish and others (year 2021).
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