Source: goachronicle.com 10/23/21 Sexual abuse of a child is a horrific and heinous crime. Everyday in different parts of India cases of child sexual abuse are being reported, many however, continue to remain unreported. The most shocking truth about child sexual abuse in India is that in all child sexual abuse case reported in the country which is part of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, in 96 percent of the cases, most of the sexual abusers were known to the children. And even more disturbing is the fact that…
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India: ‘My crime is I fell in love’: should India rethink tough laws on underage sex?
Source: theguardian.com 8/24/21 Laws intended to tackle child abuse are resulting in young men in consensual relationships being imprisoned. Activists argue a more nuanced approach is needed Mani*, 21, began dating Noor*, 17, two years ago. They couldn’t see each other during the Covid lockdowns, but when restrictions began to ease, they would meet on the deserted banks of a canal in a small town in Tamil Nadu. The couple hoped to marry one day, but then Noor fell pregnant, and life turned into a nightmare. Two months ago, Mani…
Read MoreIndia: Can rehab for people convicted of a sex offense help combat sexual violence?
[theweek.in] Sexual violence and the fear of sexual abuse has a profound and devastating effect on not only individuals, but entire communities. According to the 2019 annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 32,033 rape cases were registered across India; that is an average of 88 cases every day. Since the Nirbhaya gang rape in 2012, public outrage has led to more punitive measures to combat sexual violence, and keeping people convicted of a sex offense in prison for longer seems like an appealing resolve. However, in reality,…
Read MoreIndia: Sex Offender’s Registry – A Misplaced Danger?
On September 20, the government announced that in order to take a step forward towards ‘women safety’ in the country, it has launched the National Database on Sexual Offenders(NDSO). It would include names of offenders convicted under charges of rape, gang rape, child sexual abuse, and eve teasing (harassment) maintaining details of some 4,40,000 people convicted for the above offences. It will be maintained by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and will include names, addresses, photographs, and fingerprint details of convicts and will not be accessible by public. India joins…
Read MoreIndia gets a sex offenders registry. What’s that?
[indiatoday.in – 9/13/21] India’s new National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO), a resource only law enforcement authorities can access, has 4.4 lakh entries. Who’s in it? The government said Thursday, the day of the launch, that it would “include offenders convicted under charges of rape, gang rape, POCSO and eve teasing”. POCSO stands for Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act. Each entry has the following information: Name, address, photograph and fingerprint details. A graphic tweeted by the Women and Child Development Ministry said it would also include DNA samples,…
Read MoreIndia Likely to Launch Sex Offender Data Base Next Month
[sputniknews.com – 8/31/18] The registry is aimed at helping law enforcement agencies to identify repeat offenders while making people aware of those involved in crimes that are sexual in nature, however, human rights activists are concerned the draconian step might do more harm than good. New Delhi (Sputnik) — With demands to ensure justice for sex offense victims growing louder every passing day, the government of India has decided to adopt a sex offender database. The database would store the profile and personal details of convicted offenders and also those…
Read MoreIndia: Sexual offenders’ registry still a work in progress
[economictimes.indiatimes.com – 6/11/18] Recently, a 26-yearold woman was sexually assaulted by a cab driver in Bengaluru while she was heading to the airport to catch an early-morning flight. The cab driver, according to reports, was a first-time offender. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2016 report, Bengaluru registered 820 cases pertaining to assaults on women with an intent to outrage their modesty. While there is no indicator to understand if that number has risen in the past two years, one thing that stands out as a pressing need…
Read MoreIndia: Kerala readies bill on sex offenders’ database
[timesofindia.indiatimes.com – 6/1/18] THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state home department is ready with a draft bill that would allow the preparation of a sex offenders’ database that can be accessed by the public and the various enforcement agencies. The draft bill titled ‘The Kerala Sex Offender Registration Bill, 2018’, accessed by TOI, aims to prepare an electronic database which will collate and retain all the necessary information about sex offenders. The access for the public, however, will be conditional with necessary penal clauses against misuse of the registry. There are also provisions…
Read MoreIndia Sex Offenders’ Registry Not the Answer
[hrw.org 4/27/18] Reeling from protests across the country demanding justice for victims in the recent spate of sexual assaults, Indian authorities are under pressure to respond. One step the government has decided to adopt is a sex offenders’ database, which will store the profile and personal details of convicted offenders and those accused of such offenses. Children accused of such crimes may also be included in the database. For several years, some senior government ministers have been calling for mandatory registration of sex offenders. It reflects public concern that children…
Read MoreIndia: India to join 8 countries having sex offenders database
India will join a club of eight countries with a sexual offender database to monitor and track those convicted of such crimes, amidst growing criticism against it in the US, where it is pursued aggressively. Full Article
Read MoreOrange passports for India’s migrant workers create ‘second class citizens’
[reuters.com] MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – India’s plan to introduce orange-colored passport jackets for some migrant workers is discriminatory and could increase the vulnerability of workers often duped by middlemen who promise them jobs, said legal experts and campaigners. The Ministry of External Affairs said last week migrant workers who need emigration clearance – those who have not passed 10th grade at school – to travel to a group of 18 countries, mostly in the Gulf region, would soon be issued orange passports. “Passport holders with ECR (Emigration Check Required)…
Read MoreIndia: Sex offender registries don’t work (Opinion)
Last month, Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi once again reiterated the need to set up a national sex offender registry after a convicted sex offender allegedly confessed to raping hundreds of girls for over 10 years in New Delhi. These registries are not a novel suggestion. They have been operational in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and a few other English-speaking countries for more than a decade. Full Opinion
Read MoreIndia: Sex Offenders’ Registry Not an Ideal Solution
In what seems to be a knee-jerk reaction to the problem of sexual violence, the government has informed Parliament of its plans to introduce a sex offender registry on the lines of those in western countries in order to “instil fear among sex offenders” and benefit the public. This proposal is reportedly still in the primary stages. Though it’s laudable that the government is concerned over the rising crimes against women, its latest move shows it’s looking for ‘quick-fix’ solutions rather than addressing the larger problem. The government’s statement implies…
Read MoreIndia: Why it is wrong on the part of the government to propose ‘naming and shaming’ offenders who haven’t been convicted
India, the largest democracy in the world unfortunately possesses a government that leaves a lot to be desired. Leaving no stone unturned to disappoint the very people it was elected to protect, the Indian government has time and again come up with laws and policies that make little or no sense. The latest in line is Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s Independence Day announcement that a list of sex offenders would be made publicly available on a national portal, to be launched soon, in order to keep the public alert.…
Read MoreIndia: Call for US-type curbs on offenders
MUMBAI: As sex crimes rise, a section among the legal fraternity and activists is asking if sex offenders in India must have some restrictions imposed on them as is done in the US. In America, the law requires states to register and regulate sex offenders residing within its borders. Full Article
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