GS Paper 2
Syllabus: Governance, Social Justice
Source: DTE
Context: A study jointly conducted by CRY — Child Rights and You and Chanakya National Law University, Patna stated that online sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA), has extended its presence across India during the pandemic and the extent of such crimes is becoming a matter of concern.
Key findings from POCSO and Beyond: Understanding Online Safety during COVID Report –
- Adolescent girls and boys within 14-18 years, belonging to the lower income strata were figured as the most vulnerable age group.
- Just 30 per cent of the parents said they would go to the police station and file a complaint, while 70 per cent ruled out that possibility.
- Only 16 per cent of parents claimed to be familiar with any OCSEA-related laws, indicating a lack of information and faith in the legal system and law enforcement.
- Nearly 33 per cent of the parents among the respondents reported that strangers approached their children via Online Platforms.
Laws on sharing of online Child Sexual Abusive Material (CSAM) in India:
- In India, viewing adult pornography in private is not an offence.
- As per the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2002, it is punishable to show children any pornographic content.
Current system of detecting CSAM in India:
- Help from foreign agencies
- Operation Megh Chakra and Operation Carbon:launched by the CBI.
India’s efforts so far:
- ‘Aarambh India’: a Mumbai-based NGO, partnered with the IWF, and launched India’s first online reporting portal to report images and videos of child abuse.
- National cybercrime reporting portal
- Jairam Ramesh Committee made recommendations on ‘the alarming issue of pornography on social media and its effect on children and society as a whole’.
- State governments are increasingly adopting “Child-Friendly Policing” to encourage reporting of abuses.
Major Initiatives for Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in India:
- POCSO Act, 2012
- Integrated Child Protection Scheme
- Child Abuse Prevention and Investigation Unit
- Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao
- Juvenile Justice Act/Care and Protection Act, 2000
- Child Marriage Prohibition Act (2006)
- Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, 2016
- Operation Smile
Effects of Sexual Abuse on Child:
- Children fall for post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis, depression, conduct disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- Strong feelings of hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and suicidal attempt.
- Getting detached from family and friends.
Ethical aspects related to Child Abuse:
- Deteriorating moral ideologies in the society – rising cases of paedophilia.
- Parents trying to not open up with their children or talk about this in society.
InstaCurious:
Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) states the following:
States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or Exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child.
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