According to a report compiled by the Manipur Alliance for Child Rights (MACR) based on newspaper reports, Manipur witnessed 191 different cases of crimes against children between September 2012 and August 17 this year.
Of the 191 victims, 104 were girls while the remaining 87 were boys. These crimes included 36 cases of sexual assault and 99 per cent of the victims of sexual assault cases were girls.
Child trafficking constituted 86 cases of crime against children. Out of them, 67 children have been rescued while 11 children could not be traced till date. Four children were freed after serving as child soldiers for some period. In the meantime, it was suspected that two children were recruited as child soldiers.
Five children sustained injuries in different incidents of bomb explosion. Kidnapping attempts were made on two children while five children were molested. During the same period, 31 children have been subjected to physical assault.
Four children were killed while three others were murdered after being sexually assaulted. One child died during communal clash. Nine children reportedly committed suicide even as six newly born dead kids were abandoned at different places.
Talking with The Sangai Express, MACR convenor K Pradipkumar decried that rate of conviction in cases related to crime against children is dismally low whereas crimes against children have been rising at an alarming rate.
Counselling and rehabilitation of the victim children is far from satisfactory. The State is unable to implement the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act effectively, Pradipkumar said.
Against 36 cases of sexual assault, two individuals involved in a rape case were convicted and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
Commando driver Yumnam William s/o Y Deben of Khagempalli Panthak and actor Thongam Arun s/o Th Jayenta of Thangmeiband Sinam Leikai were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment after they were found guilty for gang raping a girl inside a restaurant.
Recording of statements of children who have been made victims of sexual assault either at police stations or other places by police personnel in uniform is not permissible according to the Juvenile Justice Act 2000, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Rule 2007 and POCSO Act 2012.
With regard to some cases where the victims were summoned to police stations for taking their statements, some police officers told The Sangai Express that there are juvenile police units in every district of Manipur as per the provisions of JJ Act. But all these units do not have adequate infrastructure.
Police personnel assigned to juvenile police units are sent to other unrelated duties too.
“It is against the law to summon rape victims, particularly children, to police stations for taking their statements and we are aware of it but we don’t have vehicles to go to the victim’s home or other places where the victim would find it convenient,” said one police officer.
As such, the guardians/parents are requested to bring the victims to police stations for taking their statements, he added.
To effectively tackle crimes against children, systematic changes are required apart from equipping all juvenile police units with adequate infrastructure, said the police officer.
Quoting provisions of POCSO Act, Pradipkumar said that police should complete collection of evidence within 30 days after a crime against children has been committed.
Trial of such cases must be completed within a year. Hospitals should admit and treat victims without waiting for registration of FIR, he added.
Source: The Sangai Express
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