Maneka launches online complaint system for child sexual abuse

An online complaint box for reporting child sexual abuse, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO), e-Box, was launched here on Friday by Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi.

The POCSO, e-Box, is an online complaint management system for easy and direct reporting of sexual offences against children and timely action against the offenders under the POCSO Act, 2012.

Speaking on the occasion, Gandhi said the idea of an e-Box came out of a police initiative in which physical complaint boxes were placed in schools.

"The e-Box will make it possible to implement it on a large scale throughout the country. A large number of incidents of abuse are against close relatives and so they get pushed under the carpet," the minister said, adding that e-Box is very simple to operate and will help to maintain the confidentiality of the complaint.

Sexual offences against children are rampant but only a small percentage gets reported.

According to a study, about 53 percent of children surveyed reported having faced one or the other form of sexual abuse in their lifetime. In most cases, the offender is a family member, a relative or an acquaintance.

The POCSO Act, 2012 was enacted to protect children from offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment and pornography. Any human being up to the age of 18 years is recognised as a child under the POCSO Act.

--IANS

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