Published Paper Details:

"Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul" The quote mentioned above portrays a utopian landscape as to how children should be in our society. Children are pure souls who are to be cherished and protected at the bane of society, however when evils like Child Abuse, Sexual Harassment, Rape mar the existence of these innocent beings, it is not only shameful for the society but imperious to be tackled and prevented. The society collectively from these evils rather than stigmatising the inherent concept. A well-structured legislation to safeguard the rights and well-being of children, becomes imperative when the deleterious impact of child sexual abuse on victims' health and overall development is realised by the society. The constitution of India enshrines the right of children, and in recognition of the inadequacy of existing laws, such as the Indian Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code, to address sexual offences against children, the parliament enacted the landmark "Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act" in 2012. In this research paper, we will focus on the legislation that has been aimed at filling the void left by precedents to provide a well-defined mechanism of preventing sexual abuse of children, and protect them from such heinous acts. The paper will also shed light on the role of child sexual abuse as a pressing social-legal issue, emphasising that violating of children'a rights constitute violations of human rights. The study aims to elucidate the distinguishing features of the POCSO Act and offer suggestions to address the problem of child sexual abuse and protect the rights of children.