NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Monday urged all the states and union territories to ensure the immediate release of compensation to the POCSO victims belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities for their proper rehabilitation.In a letter to the chief secretaries of the states and union territories, the NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo asked them to give a compliance report to the Commission within l0 days from the issue of the letter.Expressing disappointment over the lack of clarity regarding paying compensation to the SC/ST children protected under the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, he especially flagged states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.Quoting figures from its POCSO Tracking Portal, he said they have observed that 5,178 POCSO victims are registered on the portal.Of these, 1,546 victims, constituting approximately 41%, belong to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) categories.“Despite the availability of this data and the clear legal obligations, there remains a significant deficiency in the disbursement of compensation to these victims,” he said.Citing data from the portal, the child rights chief said in Andhra Pradesh, 41.1% of the children identified as POCSO victims belong to the SC/ST categories.He said the Commission has not received any information regarding whether these SC/ST victims have been compensated under the provisions of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.Similarly, he said, in Karnataka, the figure stands at 45 %, in Punjab at 48.5 %, in Tamil Nadu at 35.4%, and in Uttar Pradesh at 13%.“Notwithstanding the unambiguous provisions of law, it remains unclear whether these SC & ST POCSO victims have received any compensation under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989,” the letter said.He said the NCPCR has approached various courts, including the Supreme Court, to ensure the safety and security of POCSO victims and to ensure the disbursement of their rightful entitlements under the POCSO Act.As per the portal, while there are 860 SC minor victims of sexual abuse, 704 belonged to ST. From the Other Backward Caste (OBC), there were 1,141 minor victims; 714 children were from the general category, as per the portal till October 7, 2024.
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