Don't politicise Kathua rape-murder: Satyarthi

Condemning the Kathua rape-murder incident, Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi on Tuesday said it was a matter of shame for the country and shouldnt be politicised.

"Not a single day goes without reports of rape and child abuse in India. The body of an eight-year-old (Kathua rape victim) should not be dragged into the battlefield of politics. We have to wage a war against rape," Satyarthi said at an event held to release a report "The Children Cannot Wait" that highlights pending child sexual abuse cases in the country.

Satyarthi also criticised the Union government, saying that issues pertaining to children are never brought up in Parliament.

"Parliament has never devoted even a single day to our children, never talked about their needs. I urge every politician to talk about child rights and devote at least a day to the children's cause," he added.

On the Centre's plan to introduce a new stringent law for criminals convicted of raping children below the age of 12, Satyarthi said that the existing Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) is strong but lacks proper implementation.

"It is unfortunate that more than one lakh cases registered under POCSO are still pending. The government should think of setting up bodies with judiciary powers to handle these. We have to ensure laws become more victim-centric than criminal-centric," he added.

--IANS

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