E-Paper
Child sex abuse cases in Pune touch 1,600 in past 5 years, with less than 1% conviction rate
As against 130 cases registered by Pune police under Pocso in 2013, the number has risen to 450 in 2018 within the first ten months itself
Pune has seen an alarming figure of over 1,600 cases of child sex abuse in the past five years. What is even more worrisome is that the police have managed to secure convictions in only 15 of these 1,600 cases which is less than 1 per cent, according to the statistics provided by Pune police commissionerate.
Jyoti Khandpasole, project manager (resource cell for juvenile justice), Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Tiss), Mumbai, said, “It is a fact that while cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012, were steading rising over the past five years, the conviction rate is abysmally poor.
“Pocso Act is meant for protection of children from sexual abuse till the age of 18 years. However, the Act fails to recognise ‘adolescent love affair cases’ that get registered as ‘sexual abuse’ due to family pressure, or prestige issue. Because of mandatory reporting, the investigation machinery is bound to register each and every case. At the level of special court, complainants and witnesses often refuse to support prosecution leading to low conviction. These types of cases are harming the sensitivity of the police and the courts towards the real victims of abuse who requires support.”
As against 130 cases registered by Pune police under Pocso in 2013, the number has risen to 450 in 2018 within the first ten months itself. The police attribute this sharp increase to growing awareness about child sex abuse in society. The figure stood at 369 in 2014 and 449 in 2015 respectively, the data available with the police states. Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad police commissionerate areas are witnessing registration of Pocso case every day, according to the police.
In the past three years, 1,210 Pocso cases were registered in the twin municipal corporation areas wherein 1,333 accused were arrested and did not get bail easily.
In a number of cases, the accused were close relatives of the victims, teachers, principals, seniors, unknown adults, teenage boys, government officials and priests from different faiths. In a recent case, a sports teacher of an English medium school located in Hadapsar, who was also engaged in creating awareness about ‘good touch, bad touch’ among students at the school, was arrested on charges of alleged molestation of Class 9 students. A special juvenile justice court was set up in 2016 to tackle the growing number of Pocso cases in the city. However, that court is facing inadequate manpower and facilities to deal with the rising number of Pocso-related cases.
Regarding rising number of cases and poor conviction rate, assistant public prosecutor Subhangi Deshmukh blamed witnesses turning hostile, the quality of investigation done by the police and pressure on victims from their perpetrators.
All about Pocso Act
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012, was enacted by the government to protect children from offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment and pornography; while safeguarding the interest of the child at every stage of the judicial process, by incorporating child friendly mechanisms for reporting, recording of evidence, investigation and speedy trial of offences through designated Special Courts.
Nature of cases registered
Sept 14, 2018: A 12-year-old was allegedly raped along with her 10-year-old friend by two persons, including a juvenile, in Hinjewadi on the outskirts of Pune. The 12-year-old victim died later after slipping into a coma. Following a complaint, police arrested a 22-year-old and detained a 17-year old in connection with the case.
Dec 29, 2017: Thirty-seven-year-old Avinash Prakash Landge was arrested by city police for sexually exploiting two of his stepdaughters in their house. While the case was filed when the man assaulted the younger stepdaughter who is a 14-year-old, her elder sister, 15, revealed that the accused had sexually abused her two years ago.
Dec 23, 2016: A special court in Pune sentenced a former magistrate to three-year rigorous imprisonment for sexually harassing a 15-year-old girl on several occasions since June 26, 2014 in his flat in Ambegaon Pathar area. The convict, Nagaraj Sudam Shinde, was tried for the offences punishable under the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act for allegedly raping the survivor on several occasions
Oct 29, 2018: A sports teacher of an English medium school located in Hadapsar, who was also engaged in creating awareness about ‘good touch, bad touch’ among students at the school, was arrested on charges of alleged molestation of Class 9 students.
Sept 19, 2018: The Wanowrie police arrested a priest, who was also the principal of a prominent English medium school, on charges of forcing a 14-year-old boy to watch porn on the principal’s mobile phone. The police invoked stringent sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012, against the accused. According to police officials, the traumatised Class 9 student has refused to resume studies at the school due to the principal’s act.
