New Delhi, March 22 (IANS): About 754 fast track courts (FTSCs) have disposed more than 3 lakh cases related to rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) in January, said the government. “The government accords the highest priority for ensuring safety and security of children and has undertaken various initiatives in this regard,” said the Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur in Lok Sabha. The initiatives to safeguard children against sexual abuse and sexual harassment include the POCSO Act, 2012. It defines a child as any person below the age of 18 years. “The Act was amended in 2019 to introduce more stringent punishment including the death penalty for committing sexual crimes on children, with a view to deter the perpetrators and prevent such crimes,” said Thakur. Till January, “754 FTSCs including 404 exclusive POCSO Courts are functional in 30 States/UTs, which have disposed more than 3,06,000 cases,” said the MoS, citing information from High Courts. She added that the “Department of Justice is implementing a scheme for setting up FTSCs including exclusive POCSO courts for expeditious trial and disposal of cases related to rape and POCSO cases”. Further, Thakur noted that Section 4 of the Act prescribes rigorous imprisonment for a minimum of 20 years, which can extend to life imprisonment, for “penetrative sexual assault”. The POCSO Rules, 2020 were also notified to protect the children from exploitation and violence and sexual exploitation. Thakur stated that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also been continuously conducting sensitisation and awareness-generation activities, along with monitoring efforts, focusing on various critical child protection themes, particularly POCSO mechanisms. These are aimed at ensuring that stakeholders are well-informed, actively involved, and effectively equipped to enhance child protection efforts and address child welfare concerns, especially within the POCSO framework.