1.

POCSO
2. DRUG ABUSE
3. PLASTIC BAN
4. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
5. ROAD SAFETY MEASURE

1. POCSO Act, 2012

POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, 2012
It is defined as “An Act to protect children from offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment,
and pornography and provide for the establishment of Special Courts for the trial of such
offences and matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.”

It was passed in 2012 under the Ministry of Women and child development.

Provisions of the POCSO act

The POCSO Act was enacted to protect children aged less than 18 from sexual assault sexual
abuse, sexual harassment, and pornography.

 The act mandates that investigation in the cases is to be completed in two months (from
the date of registration of FIR) and trial in six months.
 The Act defines a child as any person below eighteen years of age.
 POCSO states a sexual assault is to be considered aggravated if –

 The abused child is mentally ill or,

 When the abuse is committed by
 A member of the armed forces or Security forces
 A public servant
 A person in a position of trust or authority of the child, like a family member, police
officer, teacher, or doctor or a person-management or staff of a hospital, whether
Government or private.

 It prescribes rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than ten years but
which may extend to imprisonment for life and also fine as punishment for aggravated
penetrative sexual assault.
 It also makes provisions for avoiding the re-victimization of the child at the hands of the
judicial system.
 The Act also makes it mandatory to report such cases. It makes it the legal duty of a person
aware of the offence to report the sexual abuse. In case he fails to do so, the person can be
punished with six months imprisonment or a fine.
  It also prescribes punishment to the people who traffic children for sexual purposes.
 The Act also provides for punishment against false complaints or untrue information.
 The act was amended in 2019 to increase the minimum punishment from seven years to
ten years. It further adds that if a person commits penetrative sexual assault on a child
below the age of 16 years, he will be punishable with imprisonment between 20 years to
life, with a fine.
 Aggravated penetrative sexual assault under POCSO Act, 2012 is the equivalent provision
for aggravated rape.
 A person can be charged with this offence in certain aggravating circumstances, such as if
the rape occurs within a relationship of trust or authority, or if it leads to pregnancy,
among others.
 Under POCSO, the consent of a person under the age of 18 is irrelevant, regardless of the
nature and circumstance of the sexual interaction, or the particulars of the person with
whom it takes place. This means that any sex with a minor is rape.

Key features of the Act

It is a gender-neutral act
By defining a child as ‘any person below the age of 18 years, the POCSO Act sets a gender-
neutral tone for the legal framework available to child sexual abuse victims. The act also does
not distinguish between perpetrators of child sexual abuse on the grounds of gender.

It is an offence to not report an abuse

It requires every person who suspects or has knowledge of a sexual offence being committed
against a child to report it to the local police or the Special Juvenile Police Unit. The act not only
punishes the perpetrator of sexual abuse but also penalizes those who have failed to report the
offence with either imprisonment, a fine, or both.

No time limit for reporting abuse

A victim can report an offence at any time, even several years after the abuse has been
committed. Therefore, organizations dealing with children in India cannot deny child sexual
abuse complaints filed against their employees on the pretext of lapse of time.

Confidentiality of victim’s identity

Section 23 of the POCSO Act prohibits disclosure of the victim’s identity in any form of media,
except when permitted by the special courts established under the act. A violation of this section
can attract punishments under the act.

New rules added to the act

 Any institution housing children, or coming in regular contact with them, is required to
conduct a periodic police verification and background check of every employee who might
interact with a child.
 Such an institution must impart regular training to sensitize its employees on child safety
and protection.
  It has to adopt a child protection policy based on the principle of zero tolerance to violence
against children. This policy must mirror the child protection policy of the state
government in which the organization operates.

General principles of the POCSO Act

The Act mentions 12 key principles which are to be followed by anyone, including the State
Governments, the Child Welfare Committee, the Police, the Special Courts, NGOs, or any other
professional present during the trial and assisting the child during the trial, which are-

Right to life and survival: A child must be shielded from any kind of physical, psychological,
mental, and emotional abuse and neglect

Best interests of the child: The primary consideration must be the harmonious development of
the child

Right to be treated with dignity and compassion: Child victims should be treated in a caring
and sensitive manner throughout the justice process

Right to be protected from discrimination: The justice process must be transparent and just;
irrespective of the child’s cultural, religious, linguistic, or social orientation

Right to special preventive measures: It suggests, that victimized children are more likely to
get abused again, thus, preventive measures and training must be given to them for self-
protection

Right to be informed: The child victim or witness must be well informed of the legal
proceedings

Right to be heard and to express views and concerns: Every child has the right to be heard in
respect of matters affecting him/her

Right to effective assistance: financial, legal, counselling, health, social and educational
services, physical and psychological recovery services, and other services necessary for the
child’s healing must be provided

Right to Privacy: The child’s privacy and identity must be protected at all stages of the pre-trial
and trial process

Right to be protected from hardship during the justice process: Secondary victimization or
hardships for a child during the justice procedure must be minimized

Right to safety: A child victim must be protected before, during, and after the justice process

Right to compensation: The child victim may be awarded compensation for his/her relief and
rehabilitation
Global laws to protect children from sexual harassment
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is an international treaty that
legally obligates nations to protect children’s rights.

Articles 34 and 35 of the CRC require states to protect children from all forms of sexual
exploitation and sexual abuse. This includes outlawing the coercion of a child to perform sexual
acts, the prostitution of children, and the exploitation of children in creating pornography. States
are also required to prevent the abduction, sale, or trafficking of children.

2. DRUG ABUSE
Today, we are here to discuss about the fatal consumption of drugs and how it is destroying the
lives of our youth. But before the discussion begins, I would like to deliver a short speech on
drug abuse and would like to enlighten our students on this sensitive subject matter.

Drugs, as we all know, are an illegal matter which some people drink, smoke, inject or eat for the
mental as well as physical effects that it leaves. There are several students who consume drugs
out of fun or for various other reasons. People who deal in the selling of drugs create a network
and mainly target students in order to make them addicted to drugs. Initially, the drugs are sold
to the students for free and gradually when they get addicted to it, they start buying and
consuming it. In fact, the students also eventually become a part of their network and start
dealing in it.

It is observed that students start consuming drugs out of stress or unfair expectations of their
teachers as well as parents. Lack of emotional support and disorder in their families make them
vulnerable and increase their dependency on drugs. They use it in order to calm down their state
of mental agitation. Other than this, it is poverty that compels some students to become a part of
the selling and dealing network of drugs and derive their pocket money. Therefore, it becomes
like a vicious circle of the drug addicted students from which they seem to find no escape unless
the society comes for their rescue.

Sadly, the students fail to realize that the consumption of drugs has a severe impact on their
physical and mental health, such as they start experiencing mental disorder, their intelligence
level decreases, experience deadly diseases and untimely death. When one completely succumbs
to the temptation of drugs, it gets very difficult for him/her to recover from its impact except in
the centers for drug rehabilitation where they gain a new life, but which involves a high cost. In
fact, there are many cases too where even rehabilitation centers fail because of the worst
condition of the patients.

I, therefore, request all the students to refrain themselves completely from the consumption of
drugs before it destroys their health, future and takes away their lives. Don’t even try to touch or
come close to them. Drugs can even destroy a complete generation. So think wise and act smart.
Shape your future which seems bright and full of achievements. The drugs that doctor prescribes
to his/her patients must only be taken in order to combat a specific disease otherwise the
government must take strict measures to ban its illegal trade in the market and save our youth
from destruction.

I want to conclude by saying that drug abuse should be an absolute ‘No’ for all and I sincerely
hope that our students will never ever try to consume drugs and will completely stay away from
its use. Remember that our country needs you as you are its future and harbinger of progress.