The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, is a comprehensive, gender-neutral Act of Parliament that came into force on November 14, 2012, to safeguard children—defined as any person below 18 years of age—from sexual abuse and exploitation. It was enacted to solve the problem of inadequate legal protection, as previous laws like the Indian Penal Code, 1860, specifically Sections 375 and 354, did not provide a child-friendly process or adequately cover male victims. The Act defines various offences, including Penetrative Sexual Assault (Section 3), Sexual Assault (Section 7), and using a child for pornographic purposes (Section 13). Its mechanism mandates the establishment of Special Courts for speedy trials and ensures child-friendly procedures throughout the judicial process. Furthermore, Section 33(8) allows the Special Court to order compensation for the child victim. The Act is closely connected to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which treats a sexually abused child as a "child in need of care and protection." A significant change occurred with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act, 2019, which was notified on August 16, 2019. This amendment made punishments more stringent, notably introducing the death penalty for Aggravated Penetrative Sexual Assault under Section 6 (read with Section 5). It also enhanced the minimum punishment for Penetrative Sexual Assault under Section 4 to 10 years (from 7 years) and to 20 years if the victim is below 16 years of age. The amendment also added a definition for "child pornography."
UPSC Dictionary
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The Border Security Force (BSF) is the world's largest border guarding force, protecting India's borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
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