PANAJI
Director of SCAN-Goa Audrey Pinto on Sunday said that the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance 2018, which includes death penalty for those convicted of raping a girl below the age of 12, is like “a band-aid on an infested wound”.
Hinting that the ordinance could eventually end up being a cosmetic remedy to the grave issue of child rape and abuse, Pinto stated, “Getting new laws, having stringent punishment, and the government committing to policies is like putting a band-aid on an infested wound. This cannot be a solution to the problem.”
Pinto directed her comments at the ordinance which received the president’s assent on Sunday. The Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 seeks to deliver stringent punishment, including awarding of death penalty for those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years, in a move to deter offenders.
As required in the ordinance, new fast-track courts will be established and police stations as well as hospitals will be equipped with specialized kits and special forensic kits to be used for conducting tests on rape victims and the accused.
Pinto, a child rights activist, former chairperson of Child Welfare Committee (North) and former member of Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, however, has sought to suggest four other mechanisms which need to be implemented at the earliest in order to ensure that child rape cases reach conviction, thereby attracting the benefits of the ordinance.
“For deterrence of any crime against children the following should be implemented. Firstly, holistic support should be provided to the victim on the lines of the Victims’ Assistance Unit (VAU) which has been set up in Goa; secondly, speedy investigation, thirdly, speedy trial and lastly, case conferencing between the investigating police officer, the public prosecutor and the doctor. The idea should be to ensure water tight investigation and certainty of conviction, which would together serve as a deterrent,” Pinto stated.
