Parliament Question: Under-Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2313 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.02.2026 UNDER-REPORTING OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE 2313: ADV. PRIYA SAROJ: SHRI PUSHPENDRA SAROJ: Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state: (a) Whether the Ministry has reviewed gaps in reporting, escalation and action on child sexual abuse complaints from schools, including cases where disclosures were not promptly linked to child protection/law enforcement mechanisms during 2024-25 in Uttar Pradesh; (b) If so, the details thereof; (c) the number of school-originated complaints that did not result in timely registration on child protection portals, referral to Child Welfare Committees/FIRs in said state; (d) whether Central assessments have identified any gaps in mandatory reporting protocols, staff training/institutional compliance contributing to delayed reporting, if so, the details thereof; (e) the details of the impact of reporting failures on victim safety, continuity of care and prosecution outcomes; and (f) the details of the measures instituted to enforce school-to-child protection reporting, real-time digital linkage and accountability mechanisms in the said state? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR) (a) to (f); The Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, 2012 was enacted by Government of India to safeguard children from sexual abuse and sexual offences. The Act clearly defines a child as any person below the age of 18 years. The POCSO Act provides proportionate punishment as per the gravity of offence. The Ministry of Women and Child Development has put in place a comprehensive legal and institutional framework to address child sexual abuse, including cases reported from schools. The POCSO Act, 2012 mandates compulsory reporting of such offences by all persons, including school authorities, and provides for time-bound investigation and child-friendly procedures.Further, under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and the Integrated Child Protection framework implemented through Mission Vatsalya, mechanisms such as Child Welfare Committees (CWCs), District Child Protection Units (DCPUs), and Special Juvenile Police Units (SJPUs) have been established to ensure prompt reporting, escalation, and linkage with child protection and law enforcement authorities. The data relating to crime against children may be seen at National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB's) portal https://ncrb.gov.in. This Ministry does not maintain data centrally regarding reporting, escalation and action on these matters. However, the Ministry issues regular advisories to States/UTs, including Uttar Pradesh, to ensure implementation of the POCSO Act including mandatory reporting provisions, timely registration of FIRs, and immediate referral of cases to appropriate child protection institutions. Further, capacity-building programmes and sensitisation initiatives for school authorities, police personnel, Special Juvenile Police Units (SJPUs), Child Welfare Committees (CWCs), and other stakeholders are conducted periodically to strengthen institutional response mechanisms. Regular orientation, training modules and IEC materials are also developed in collaboration with concerned agencies to enhance awareness of child-friendly procedures and statutory obligations under the Act. These initiatives aim to improve coordination among stakeholders and ensure a prompt, sensitive, and child-centric approach in handling cases. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is a statutory and autonomous body under the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD). The Commission is mandated to examine and inquire into complaints relating to violation of child rights, including cases of child sexual abuse, and to monitor the implementation of laws and policies concerning the protection and welfare of children. The Commission circulated the Manual on Safety and Security of Children in Schools to the Ministries, Departments, Institutions concerned and other stakeholders on 15th February, 2019. Subsequently, in the year 2021, the Commission issued Comprehensive Guidelines on “School Safety and Security” for adoption by all States and Union Territories. Further, the Commission monitors cases through its online complaint management system (e-Box/POCSO e-Box), conducts inquiries and fact-finding in cases of non-compliance, seeks Action Taken Reports from authorities, and undertakes awareness and sensitisation programmes for school authorities to strengthen accountability and child protection mechanisms. Department of School Education & Literacy (DOSEL), Ministry of Education has developed Guidelines on School Safety and Security, for safety and security of children studying in Government, Government-aided and Private Schools, in line with the provisions contained in the National Education Policy, 2020. The guidelines are advisory in nature and have been circulated to all States/UTs/Autonomous Bodies of DoSEL and stakeholder Ministries on 01.10.2021. The guidelines further states that in case of occurrence of any untoward incidents e.g., physical or sexual violence, bullying, injury etc., the school management should report the matter to the authorities concerned and immediately take necessary action and also corrective measures so that the incident do not recur.Further, the Central Government has taken several measures to fast-track investigations in cases of child sexual abuse. These steps include mechanism for online reporting of child sex abuse cases, accessibility of reported incidents to Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) concerned, improving cyber forensic facilities, training of Law Enforcement Officers/Judges/ Public Prosecutors, spreading awareness etc. Government also implements a scheme for setting up of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) for expeditious trial and disposal of cases related to rape and POCSO Act through the Ministry of Law and Justice. As on 30.11.2025 a total of 774 FTSCs, including 398 exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) Courts, are functional across 29 States/UTs which have disposed of 3,61,055 cases since the inception of the Scheme. *****