NCW hail death penalty in child rapes

Women activists across the country have praised the ordinance approved by the Union cabinet to award death sentence to the rapists of children below the age of 12.

Speaking to ANI, National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma welcomed the move but also stressed on its implementation, "I welcome this move of the government. But the main challenge is the implementation of the law. I would still suggest that there be fast track courts so that the justice can be delivered at the earliest: Rekha Sharma, chairperson, NCW on the ordinance to amend POCSO Act."

Another activist, Mamta Sharma too concurred on the subject of implementation of the amended Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

"If it is implemented, then it would be deemed a historic decision. But, if there is no implementation, then these decisions merely on papers and files would not bring about change in regards to women safety," she said.

"If the government and the public do not take this seriously, we will never see change," Sharma added.

Activist Neelam Verma from Moradabad termed the death penalty a correct step, in light of the rise in crimes against children.

"With the rise in crimes of a particular nature, laws should be amended from time to time accordingly," she said.

Following a meeting of the cabinet earlier in the day, the government cleared the amendment in the POCSO Act, to award death sentence to the rapists of children below the age of 12.

In the wake of the gangrape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi had earlier expressed her ministry's intention to amend the POCSO to make provision for death penalty in such cases.

Soon after, the Centre submitted its report while responding to a plea filed by Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava in the Supreme Court, seeking maximum sentence of death penalty to those offenders involved in the rape and brutal murder of children between the age group of 0 to 12.