The national child rights body raised concerns regarding the high number of child victims of sexual offences from the SC/ST communities and said despite legal mandates for immediate compensation, many of them have not received any financial relief from the states.
Of the 5,178 registered child victims of sexual offences, 1,546 belong to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, according to official data of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) said.
In a letter to states and Union Territories issued on Monday, the NCPCR shared the data from POCSO Tracking Portal. The portal tracks cases lodged under the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
According to the portal’s data, 1,141 victims are from the OBC community, 714 come under the general category, while 373 are categorised as of ’others’. The caste of 1,386 children is not available.
“Despite legal mandates for immediate compensation, many of these victims have not received any financial relief,” the apex child rights body said.
However, NCPCR, in its letter, said there was a troubling gap in the implementation of the compensation, and specifically questioned the status of relief distribution in Andhra Pradesh where 41.1 per cent of POCSO victims belong to SC/ST categories.
“…however, the commission has not received any information regarding whether these victims have been compensated under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989,” it said.
Similarly, states like Karnataka, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu show high proportions of SC/ST POCSO victims, with 45 per cent, 48.5 per cent, and 35.4 per cent respectively, the commission said in the letter.
In the letter, NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo stressed the need for immediate financial aid to these victims under the SC/ST Act.
The commission also called for the creation of state-specific compensation schemes to address the issue, urging for an urgent response and compliance report within 10 days.
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