42% of culprits in POCSO cases are neighbours: DCPCR
New Delhi: Children are highly vulnerable to the threat of assault in the national Capital and their predators are often neighbours.
This revelation was made by the recent data published by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR), which stated that 42 per cent of the accused in cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act are neighbours of the children and the area of offence is the house of victims or the accused.
The child rights body claimed that they track every case till the time the victims gets their due compensation.
The DCPCR data, accessed by Millennium Post, claimed that from January 2017 to October 2018, they received 341 POCSO cases.
An official said that the Commission receives around 10-15 cases each month, and three to four each week.
Analyses of the cases received by DCPCR revealed that in seven per cent of cases, blood relatives were involved.
In six per cent cases, the culprits are extended family members; in 12 per cent cases, the accused is friends with or closely acquainted to the victims; in 21 per cent cases, the identity of the accused could not be determined; and in nine per cent cases, the accused belong to educational institutions.
The data further claimed that the location of the offence was the victim's home in 23 per cent cases. In 27 per cent of the POCSO cases, it was the home, workplace or car of the accused. In eight per cent cases, schools were the location.
According to a DCPCR official, the scariest part in dealing with cases related to child abuse is the pressure mounted on the victim by the family in case the accused is a relative.
"After receiving the complaint, we ensure the safety of the victim and then she is counselled. We also counselled the victims' mothers to make sure that they file the complaint against the accused," said the DCPCR official.
Jyoti Duhan Rathee, member, DCPCR told Millennium Post that they have conducted workshops with at least 5,000 girls and several government schools, aimed at creating awareness among children about 'good and bad touch'.
"When we receive a complaint, we track it till the time the victim gets compensation. We continuously take status report of the case from the concerned police officer," said Rathee, adding that if a case takes place within school premises, they write to the Education Department.
"We also tell schools that if they come to know about any kind of abuse happening with children, they must report them," she further said.
Recently, DCPCR chairperson Ramesh Negi initiated the process of constituting 'Smile Clubs' in different district of the Capital, which act as social integration platforms wherein child victims can share their concerns, needs and priorities amongst themselves and engage in activities help them fight social stigma.
