IN HIMACHAL, POCSO CASES UP 44% IN 6 YEARS

June 14, 2022

Himachal Pradesh has witnessed a 44.8 per cent rise over six years from 223 in 2016 to 323 in 2021 under the POCSO Act.
According to data procured from the police department, as many as 2,164 persons, including 2,040 males and 124 females, were arrested in 1,683 cases registered under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act from 2016 till 2021.
In all, 1,804 children, including 1,747 females and 57 males, were victimised.
According to ASP, Cyber Crime easy access to sexually explicit material and pornographic sites on the Internet and glamorising physical contact in films and serials were some of the reasons contributing to increase in such cases.
The Himachal police would launch an initiative “Register 26”—to record the cases of crime against women and children.
Vital information about the accused, including their physical, social, economic and emotional profile, details of the crime, gist of the FIR and subsequent investigation would be recorded in the register.
The POCSO Act was established in 2012 to protect the children against offences like sexual abuse, sexual harassment and pornography.