Govt Preparing Draft for Stricter Sexual Abuse Law

Taking strict approach towards sexual offences, government is preparing a draft for a new law that will include mental harassment as part of sexual abuse, said media reports.

The Sexual Offences Special Courts Bill is nearly finalised and awaiting Cabinet’s nod, reports said.

“I am working on making these laws more stringent,” Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily was quoted as saying.

The government proposes that definition of sexual abuse should include not only physical abuse but also mental harassment with punishment being identical for both and it should be stringent.

Currently, maximum sentence for sexual abuse is two years and in cases where sexual abuse results in suicide, the onus to prove that the suicide was not due to the sexual harassment lies with the accused.

Also, government wants all cases of sexual harassment to be dealt with special courts and cleared within six months to a year.

“We will push for the sexual assault bill in the next session (of Parliament),” Union Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath was quoted as saying.

(Based on internet reports)