Trinamool Congress member Derek O’ Brien recalled his childhood trauma of being “molested” in a bus in Kolkata while speaking on The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which was passed by the Parliament following its passage in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The bill provides for death penalty for aggravated sexual assaults on children.
While “happily and strongly” supporting the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019, in the Rajya Sabha, Derek also suggested more and more people in public life come out and speak about sexual abuses. He said children should be encouraged to speak up and not hide incidents wherein they have been traumatised in this manner.
“With a lot of pride and sadness and hurt but I think India needs to know because my family knows, that on a bus in Kolkata as a 13-year-old after doing tennis practice, wearing short pants and a T-shirt, I got on to a crowded bus and I don’t know who it was, but with my short pants and T-shirt I was sexually molested,” he said.
The senior TMC member recalled that he did not speak about the incident for several years, and brought it up with his parents much later in the life. Several other members too made case for creating awareness among children to report about “good touch and bad touch”.
Rajya Sabha passed the bill entailing amendments to the POCSO Act by including death penalty for aggravated sexual assault on children, besides providing stringent punishments for other crimes against minors. Now the bill, would be send to the Lok Sabha for its approval. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019 also provides for fines and imprisonment to curb child pornography. It was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday by Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani
Cutting across party lines, Rajya Sabha members supported amendments to POCSO Act seeking death penalty for aggravated sexual assault on children besides providing stringent punishments for other crimes against minors.
Rising to support the bill, Congress leader Vivek K Tankha said, “I welcome the bill. But the stringent provisions are not stopping such incidents.” He highlighted the poor conviction rate under the law and said that out of over one lakh such offences, trial was completed in around 10,000 cases with conviction in 30 per cent cases.
AIADMK leader Vijila Sathyananth also supported the bill and demanded chemical castration of convicts who do such heinous crimes and demanded that all public buildings should have close circuit TV cameras and the entire expenses on treatment of such victims should be borne by the state.
In an emotionally charged speech, Jaya Bachchan of the Samajwadi Party recalled the Nirbhaya case involving the gangrape-murder of a 23-year-old woman in the national capital in December 2012. She said only amendments will not solve the problem and time-bound investigation was crucial along with prosecution and proportionate compensation. Stating that NCPCR is toothless, she said government should provide for an independent national children tribunal.
Sarojini Hembram of the BJD supported the Bill and said social media and television were negatively impacting the minds of children. She said school children should be educated on a ‘good touch, bad touch’ and that imparting self defence training was essential.
