287 child abuse complaints reported on e-box

The online complaint box for reporting child sexual abuse has received 287 hits since its inception last year.
Minister of State for Women and Child Welfare Krishna Raj said in the Lok Sabha that out of 287 cases reported in the POCSO e-box, 25 were found related to offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
The POCSO e-box functions under the supervision of Member, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
She said breaching the privacy of the complaints received was a punishable offence and carried a jail term of up to one year.
Besides the e-box, 1098 child helpline is also available to lodge complaints, she said.

The ministry had earlier said that sexual offences against children was rampant, but only a small percentage gets reported.
According to a study, about 53 per cent of children surveyed, had reported having faced one or the other form of sexual abuse in their lifetime. In most cases, the offender is a family member, a near relative or an acquaintance.
The child victims in such cases generally do not report these offences. Sexual abuse scars the psyche of the affected child for the entire life.