The Protection of Children from sexual offences(POCSO)act
Enacted:- 2012
Punishment:- 20 year jail or for the
entire life and death penalty in rare cases.
Purpose:- to provide a robust legal framework for the protection of children from offences of sexual assaults, sexual harassment and poronography, while safeguarding the interest of the child at every stage of the judicial process.
Section 7:- Whoever, with sexual intent touches the vagina, penis, anus or breast of the child or makes the child touch the vagina, penis, anus or breast of such person or any other person, or does any other act with sexual intent which involves physical contact without penetration is said to commit sexual assault.
- Recently, The Supreme Court has corrected an egregious error of interpretatio committed by a judge in the Nagpur bench of the bombay high court in holding that sexual assault on a child victim require Skin-to-Skin contact.
o The Supreme court ruled that the most important ingredient of constituting sexual assault under section 7 of POCSO is sexual intent and not Skin-to-Skin contact with the Victim.
