Abstract:
Children are like seeds which demands proper care, attention and love to grow into a responsible citizens. Thus, in modern society it is critical to analyze the rights of children, their safety standards. In addition to having specific rights that take into account their unique needs, children and adolescents also enjoy the same fundamental rights as adults. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989 which India has ratified, acknowledges that it is vital to protect children's welfare and development as well as their inherent human dignity. Therefore the personal integrity and physical safety of a child is within the parameters of fundamental rights of a child. It is the State's responsibility as the primary duty bearer to provide protection that is in the child's best interests. This is precisely what the POCSO Act seeks to protect. The POCSO ACT was enacted in 2012 with the main objective protecting children from sexual offences sexual harassment, pornography and constitution of Special Courts for trial of such offences. This paper seeks to review the effective implementation of the Act since its commencement a decade ago and also to highlight the lacunas and drawbacks in the application of the said Act with a view to recommend necessary changes for optimum achievement of its objectives
