POCSO ACT 2012’S EFFECTS IN THE INDIAN SOCIETY

Best Citation – Vidhi Singh, POCSO ACT 2012’s EFFECTS IN THE INDIAN SOCIETY, 1 LIU & 59 (2022)

ABSTRACT

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, 2012 is lauded for recognizing the rights of the children who are vulnerable to sexual offenses. When the rate of sexual offenses against children was spurting, the 2012 Act was formulated to ensure the safety and security of children by establishing judicial bodies to safeguard their rights and by instituting an efficacious right enforcement mechanism. Although the legislation and policies devised for its enforcement have been a commendable effort of the Union Ministry of Law & Justice in recognizing the need to protect children from sexual abuses, still the taboo of child sexual abuse prevails in Indian Society. This prompts the need to analyze the scope and impact of the POCSO Act on Indian Society. Hence, the present study is an attempt to assess the positive as well as the negative impact of the POCSO Act on Indian society while identifying the loopholes in the legislation and making valuable suggestions for rectifying the same. Analyzing the historical evolution of the POCSO Act, highlighting the experts’ opinions on the Act, comparing it with other prevalent legislations including Juvenile Justice Act and Indian Penal Code, ascertaining its scope, and critically examining the impact of its provisions on Indian Society is the sole objective of the research paper. Implications of these findings & inferences for future research, as well as, suggestions for uniform efficacious implementation strategies and analyzing certain disputed provisions of the aforesaid legislation, form the core of this research endeavor.

Key Words: Child Protection, POCSO Act, Child Sexual Abuse, Child Rights, POCSO’s Impact on India, Positive Effects of POCSO, Negative Effects of POCSO, Loopholes in POCSO Act.