Examine the issues related to child sexual abuse in India. What initiatives India has taken to tackle the issue?

Recently, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after receiving inputs from interpol, conducted raids across the nation as part of “Operation Megh Chakra” against the online circulation and sharing of Child Sexual Abusive Material (CSAM). The agency carried out a similar operation known as “Operation Carbon” in November 2021.

Issues related to Child sexual abuse:

• According to the World Health Organization, Child Sexual Abuse is “the involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared and cannot give consent, or that violates the laws or social taboos of society”.
• Child sexual abuse affects children’s physical health, mental health and behavioural elements negatively.
• The exploitation and abuse of children has amplified due to increase in digital technologies.
• The POCSO Act passed in 2012 has not been effective in preventing sexual abuse of children.
• Low rate of conviction under POCSO Act.
• The provisions of the act are unfriendly to children.

Government’s initiatives:

• The Department of Telecommunication has blocked a number of websites that include child pornography.
• Child grooming, child exploitation, and child pornography are all prohibited by Section 67B of the Information Technology (IT) Amendment Act of 2008.
• Penalties under the 2019 Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO).
• Storing pornographic content for profit carries a five-year prison sentence, a fine, or both.
• Failure to remove, delete or report child-related pornographic content, transmitting, exhibiting, or disseminating such content for any reason other than reporting is also prohibited.

Way forward:

Child pornography is a social threat that hurts defenceless youngsters, influences adolescent attitudes and behaviour, and has the potential to cause psychological illnesses in adults. Hence, strict actions should be taken against the offenders.