Lok Sabha Question No. 2313 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-13
Subject: Under-Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Pushpendra Saroj, Adv Priya Saroj

## 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.

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