Knowledge of crime against Women and Children Questions

The correct answer is 14th November 2012.

• To deal with child sexual abuse cases, the Government has brought in a special law, namely, The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
• The Act has come into force with effect from 14th November 2012 along with the Rules framed thereunder. 

Key Points

• The POCSO Act, 2012 is a comprehensive law to provide for the protection of children from the offences of
  • sexual assault
  • sexual harassment
  • pornography
• While safeguarding the interests of the child at every stage of the judicial process by incorporating child-friendly mechanisms for reporting, recording of evidence, investigation and speedy trial of offences through designated Special Courts.  

The correct answer is Sexual intercourse by a husband on his wife during separation.

• Section 376B in The Indian Penal Code:
  • Sexual intercourse by a husband on his wife during separation: Whoever has sex with his wife, who is living separately, whether under a decree of separation or otherwise, without her consent, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than two years but which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.

Additional Information

• Section 376A: Punishment for causing death or resulting in a persistent vegetative state of the victim.
• Section 376D:  Gang rape
• Section 376: Punishment for rape.

IPC Section 375 is NOT correct.

• Section 375 in the Indian Penal Code (Rape):
  • A man is said to commit “rape” who, except in the case hereinafter excepted, has sexual intercourse with a woman under circumstances falling under any of the six following de­scriptions:
    • (i) Against her will.
    • (ii) Without her consent.
    • (iii) With her consent, when her consent has been obtained by putting her or any person in whom she is interested in fear of death or of hurt.
    • (iv) With her consent, when the man knows that he is not her husband and that her consent is given because she believes that he is another man to whom she is or believes herself to be law­fully married.
    • (v) With her consent, when, at the time of giving such consent, by reason of unsoundness of mind or intoxication or the administration by him personally or through another of any stupe­fying or unwholesome substance, she is unable to understand the nature and consequences of that to which she gives consent.
    • (vi) With or without her consent, when she is under sixteen years of age.

Additional Information

• Section 370: Amendments and advocacy to prevent the conflation of trafficking and sex work.
• Section 372: Selling minor for purposes of prostitution, etc.
• Section 373: Buying minor for purposes of prostitution, etc.

The correct answer is Section 3.

• ​Section 3: Prohibition of advertisements containing indecent representation of women:
  • No person shall publish, or cause to be published, or arrange or take part in the publication or exhibition of, any advertisement which contains indecent representation of women in any form.

Key Points

• The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986:
  • An Act to prohibit indecent representation of women through advertisements or in publications, writings, paintings, figures, or in any other manner and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Additional Information

• Section 1: Short title, extent, and commencement
• Section 2:  Definitions
• Section 4:  Prohibition of publication or sending by post of books, pamphlets, etc., containing indecent representation of women.

The correct answer is Section 354.

• IPC Section 354: Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty.

Key Points

• Whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any woman, intending to outrage or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby outrage her modesty, shall be punished with impris­onment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.

Additional Information

• Rape (Section 376, 376A, 376B, 376C, 376D)
• Kidnapping (Sec. 359, 360 366)
• Assault to outrage modesty (Sec.354, 354B)
• Domestic violence (Sec. 498A)
• Sexual harassment (Sec. 354A)

The correct answer is The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.

• The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 came into force on 1st November 2007 in India.
• In October 2017, Supreme Court of India gave a landmark judgement criminalising sex with a child bride, hence removing an exception in India’s criminal jurisprudence which had until then accorded legal protection to men who raped their minor wives.

Key Points

• Section 2 of the Act contains definitions:
  • Child means a person who, if a male, has not completed twenty-one years of age, and if a female, has not completed eighteen years of age.
  • Child marriage means a marriage to which either of the contracting parties is a child.
  • Contracting party in relation to a marriage means either of the parties whose marriage is or is about to be thereby solemnised.
  • Child marriage: A marriage to which either party is a child.

The correct answer is 2 years or with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees.

• Punishment for male adult marrying a child:
  • Whoever, being a male adult above eighteen years of age, contracts a child marriage shall be punishable with rigorous imprisonment which may extend to two years or with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees or with both. 

Additional Information

• Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006:
  • This Act may be called the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.
  • It extends to the whole of India and it applies also to all citizens of India without and beyond India.
  • Provided that nothing contained in this Act shall apply to the Renoncants of the Union territory of Pondicherry.
  • It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint; and different dates may be appointed for different States and any reference in any provision to the commencement of this Act shall be construed in relation to any State as a reference to the coming into force of that provision in that State. 

The correct answer is 1993.

• Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) was established by the Government of India in March, 1993 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Women & Child Development.
  • It was registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860.

Additional Information

• Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) is a  national  level  organization  as an  autonomous  body  under the  aegis of  the  Ministry of  Women and Child Development, for socio-economic empowerment  of  women. 
• The  operating  model  currently followed by  RMK is that  of a  facilitating agency  wherein  RMK  provides loans to  NGO-MFIs termed as Intermediary Organizations (IMO) which on-lend to Self Help Groups (SHGs)  of women. 
• RMK extends micro-credit to the women in the informal sector through a client-friendly, without collateral and in a hassle-free manner for income generation activities.
• RMK has taken a number of promotional measures to popularize the concept of micro-financing, enterprise development, thrift and credit, formation and strengthening of  Women-SHGs through intermediary organizations.

The correct answer is 20th September 1994.

• Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act was enacted on 20th September 1994.

Key Points

• Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994:
  • An Act to provide for the prohibition of sex selection, before or after conception, and for the regulation of prenatal diagnostic techniques for the purposes of detecting genetic abnormalities or metabolic disorders or chromosomal abnormalities or certain congenital malformations or sex-linked disorders and for the prevention of their misuse for sex determination leading to female foeticide; and, for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. ​

Additional Information

• Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted to stop female foeticides and arrest the declining sex ratio in India.
  • The act banned prenatal sex determination.
  • Every genetic counselling centre, genetic laboratory or genetic clinic engaged in counselling or conducting pre-natal diagnostics techniques, like in vitro fertilisation (IVF) with the potential of sex selection (Preimplantation genetic diagnosis) before and after conception comes under the preview of the PCPNDT Act and are banned.

The correct answer is 1999.

• One of the basic aims of the Rajasthan State Commission for Women (RSCW) is to bring marginalized women into the mainstream.
• RSCW was set up a statutory body on May 15, 1999 under The Rajasthan State Commission for Women Act, 1999.

Key Points

• Objectives:
  • To redress the grievances of the suffering women across the State of Rajasthan.
  • To safeguard the interests of women across the State.
  • To review prevailing laws concerning women and to request the government to make amendments for women to get justice.
  • To recommend remedial legislative measures.
  • To advise the Government of Rajasthan on all Policy matters affecting women.
  • Detailed functions of the Rajasthan State Commission for Women are elaborated under Section 11 of the RSCW Act, 1999.

Additional Information

• A brief of these functions is provided below:
  • Functions of RSCW:
    • To investigate and analyse all unjustified acts committed against women and to request the government to take action.
    • To take steps to make the existing laws more effective and ensure their implementation.
    • To review existing laws and recommend amendments.
    • To prevent any discrimination against women in state public services and state public enterprises.
    • To take steps to alleviate the condition of women by suggesting practical welfare schemes, appealing to the government to provide equal opportunities.
    • Appealing to the government to take strict action against any public servant found by the commission to be working against the interests of women.
    • To submit Annual/ Special Reports to Govt. with its recommendations.