Recognising that crimes against children are not hidden and perpetrators are punished, the apex child rights organisation National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) announced today, Monday, January 29 that a strong mechanism has been built to combat such offences.
The NCPCR's statement followed a report by the NGO Child Rights and You (CRY), which stated that child rape cases increased by 96 per cent between 2016 and 2022 as public awareness increased the number of reported cases of sexual assaults against children.
The Congress party attacked the Centre today over the report, claiming that even children are at risk under Narendra Modi's "anyay kaal" government, PTI reports.
Responding to this, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo stated that a strong framework has been built to combat such offences.
"Over the years, NCRB has developed a computerized system for FIR, through which data from police stations across the country is being maintained in the report. The Government of India has set up a network of one-stop centres across the country which is ensuring that FIRs are registered in cases," he said in a post on X.
Further, the chairperson also took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, against whom a case was recently registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
“This data includes the POCSO case registered against your leader Rahul Gandhi for revealing the identity of the victim and the case of cruelty against children in the orphanage running in his house in Prayagraj," Kanoongo said.
"By implementing the Juvenile Justice Act 2015, the central government has provided necessary resources to the states for its implementation so that as per the provisions of the Act, a Child Welfare Police Officer is appointed in every police station and a Special Child Police Unit is appointed in every district whose work is to look after the children," Kanoongo said.
He added that state and national commissions across the country are also registering cases promptly due to which reporting has increased. “Now, crimes are not hidden and the criminals are punished," he said.
In a post on the social media platform X in Hindi, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh tagged a media report on the findings and wrote, "Even children of the country are not protected in the 'anyay kaal (the period of injustice)' of the Modi government."
Child rape cases have surged by 96% during the last six years.
“The children are the future of the country, but in this "period of injustice" the children also need justice," Ramesh said.
Every section of the country is suffering the brunt of the 'anyay kaal' of the last 10 years of the Modi government, the senior Congress leader added.
