Comparative analysis of the POCSO Act with international child protection laws: Lessons and Suggestions

Abstract

This paper provides an extensive comparative analysis of the Protection of Children from sexual offenses (POCSO) Act 2012, in India with child protection laws from selected countries including the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and Canada. The Study evaluates the gaps in the POCSO Act concerning key aspects such as legal definitions, procedural safeguards, victim support systems, and penalties and explores how international frameworks address critical issues like age differentiation, multi-agency victim support, and online child sexual exploitation. This Paper offers key suggestions such as multi-agency enhancing digital safety provisions, adopting multi-agency approaches, and incorporating age-specific protection to improve child protection in India.