The Cabinet has approved several amendments in the POCSO Act. The Cabinet has approved several amendments in the POCSO Act.

The Cabinet on Friday approved death penalty for aggravated sexual assault against children below the age of 18 years as part of amendments in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act), Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced on Friday.

“Major changes are being made to POCSO Act. Punishment has been enhanced for sexual assault of children. The changes are being introduced to prevent children from becoming victims of sexual assault,” the minister said during a press briefing on a list of Cabinet decisions in the national capital.

Among other sections, 4, 5 and 6 will be amended to “provide option of stringent punishment, including death penalty, for committing aggravated penetrative sexual assault crime on a child to protect the children from sexual abuse”, a press release by the government said.

Besides this, the amendments have also proposed to protect children from assault “in times of natural calamities and disasters and in cases where children are administered, in any way, any hormone or any chemical substance, to attain early sexual maturity for the purpose of penetrative sexual assault”, the statement added.

To curb child pornography, the government has decided to impose a fine for not deleting, destroying child pornographic material or reporting child pornography.

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