The Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO Act) was enacted in the year 2012 that protects children from sexual abuse. This law introduced a child-friendly judicial system for dealing with such offences. In India, the number of child abuse is staggering; one in every two children has been a victim of abuse which is concerning data.

Our NGO in Dehradun works for the protection of children from all sorts of abuse. Samarpan Society takes the lead and goes on rescue drives now and then. We have also rescued many children and given them a better life that will lead to a better future.

Now, let’s discuss the things everyone must know about POCSO Act:-

1- This law is gender-neutral

Any person under 18 years of age is provided with the remedies under the act irrespective of gender. The interesting thing is that the abuser’s gender also doesn’t matter. Both a man and a woman can be charged for child abuse.

2- There’s no time limit on reporting the abuse

Many times, the abused child can not gather the courage to speak up for themselves. Therefore, in 2018, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice announced that there’s no age bar to report child sexual abuse.

3- It is an offence to witness and not report abuse

Any person who witnessed the crime is committed to reporting the crime to the nearby police station or special juvenile police unit. This act only exempts children from not reporting the abuse. In the past, many witnesses have been hampered and due to that, they were penalized heavily. We also encourage people to report any child abuse to the best child NGO in Dehradun so that they can rescue the victims.

4- The identity of the victim has to be kept confidential

Under the POCSO Act, section 23 forbids the reveal of a victim’s identity until permitted by the special courts. The violation of this rule can lead to severe punishments. Being the best child NGO in Dehradun, we also encourage people to follow this rule as it can affect the mental health of the victim.

5- The new amendments in the law

Recently, some amendments were made to the POCSO Act for the organizations that deal with children. Periodic police verification in organizations where children reside, all institutions must train their employees on the safety of children and zero-tolerance against child violence.

We hope these pointers were informative and you are now aware of the rules in India for child safety. If you witness any child abuse around you, report the crime as soon as possible to the police or our child NGO in Dehradun, Samarpan Society.

Together, we can bring a positive change!