Cabinet approves amendments to POCSO Act, introduces death penalty for aggravated sexual offences

New Delhi: The government has approved amendments to The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and introduced stringent measures to check the circulation of child pornography and administration of hormones to children to attain early sexual maturity. The Cabinet also approved death penalty in aggravated sexual offences under the Act.

File image of Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Image courtesy: Twitter/@BJP4India

Briefing reporters, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said children should be protected from sexual offences and the Cabinet has approved amendments to various sections of POCSO Act. "This is a wholesome initiative whereby the entire POCSO architecture is not only strengthened but also enlarged so that artificial medicines or hormones could not be abused to kill the childliness of a child," he said.

An unfortunate thing was going on in the country - that children were being administered hormones to make them artificially majors, he said. The related provision of the POCSO Act — Section 9 — has been made more stringent, the minister said.