The implementation of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act is pathetic in the country and the pace of enforcement very slow, Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi said on Tuesday. Mr. Satyarthi and his wife Suvidha led a massive rally by thousands of schoolchildren from the Raja Vihar centre to the APSP Battalion here as part of his Bharat Yatra, a march to end sexual abuse and trafficking of children and addressed a public meeting at the APSP Battalion grounds along with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
At the public meeting, Mr. Satyarthi said while 15,000 cases were booked under the Act, the rate of conviction was just 4%, acquittal 6 % and pendency almost 90 %, as per the National Crime Records Bureau. While 40% of India’s population was below 18 years of age, only 3.50 % of the Gross Domestic Product was spent on education, health care and protection of children, he said.
The Nobel laureate called upon software professionals to develop apps for tracking the traffickers and child sexual abuse offenders. Business houses should prioritise protection of children as part of the corporate social responsibility.
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All praise for Naidu
Mr. Satyarthi described Mr. Chandrababu Naidu as an action-oriented politician and said he was the first CM to have participated in a rally saying no to child abuse.
Despite the poverty, scarcity of water and problems, AP should resolve to put an end to child labour, abuse and child marriages, Mr. Satyarthi asserted. He administered a pledge to people to raise their voice and join the war against rape, sexual abuse and violence against children.
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Mr. Naidu warned that PD Act would be invoked against those employing child labourers. He promised to enact a legislation to safeguard children’s rights and act sternly to curb child labour, child marriages and their sexual abuse and ensure their well-being.
He released a brochure on the Kishori Vikasam scheme and felicitated Mr. Satyarthi by presenting a shawl and a memento to him. Mr. Satyarthi presented his book to Mr. Naidu. Deputy Chief Minister K.E. Krishnamurthy MPs T.G. Venkatesh and Butta Renuka, Minister Kaluva Srinivasulu, MLAs S.V. Mohan Reddy and Mani Gandhi, APIDC chairman K.E. Prabhakar, and former Legislative Council Chairman A. Chakrapani Yadav took part.