After setting up Special Juvenile police unit for the care and protection of children, the district police and district child protection unit launched a ‘sticker campaign’ to familiarise the important provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 and stringent punishments for the offenders.
Superintendent of Police N. Manivannan launched the programme by pasting stickers at the Kenikarai police station here on Friday and handed over the stickers to Assistant SP S. Sarvesh Raj to be displayed at 48 other stations in the district. “This is to effectively address the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children,” the SP said.
Mr. Sarvesh Raj said the stickers would be distributed to all the police stations and pasted in prominent places in the stations by Saturday. The stickers displayed sections, which dealt with punishments for penetrative sexual assault, aggravated penetrative sexual assault, sexual assault and aggravated sexual assault. The imprisonment for such offences ranged from three to seven years with fine and may even extend to life imprisonment.
This was the part of the aggressive campaign to popularise the stringent provisions in the Act and sensitise all the stake holders to protect children from sexual offences, S. Duraimurugan, District Child Protection Officer, said. The punishment was more stringent for offenders who were supposed to be the protectors of children – relatives, policemen, heads of homes for children, teachers and hostel wardens, he said.
The child protection unit would take the campaign to the next level by displaying the stickers at Railway stations, bus stands, malls, market places and public gathering places, he said. The district police, after setting up special juvenile police unit, had appointed child welfare officers in all the police stations for the care and protection of children.
