Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): An amendment to POCSO Act to differentiate between consensual relationship and cases of sexual violence will save minor girls from the trauma they undergo during the process of pregnancy termination.
The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act and POCSO Act should be harmonised to ensure confidentiality for minors seeking abortion.
These are among other recommendations made in a research paper that was presented at a conference in Bangkok (Thailand) recently by Soumya Saxena who heads India’s first One Stop Crisis Centre, Gauravi, established in Bhopal in 2014.
Doctors obliged to report case to cops or CWC
According to research paper, doctors approached by a minor girl for abortion, are legally obliged to report the case to the police or the child welfare commission (CWC).
Once the case is reported, the minor girls are subjected to a process involving police, medical practitioners and child welfare homes. Thereafter, abortion decisions depend on local medical board’s recommendations, consent of minor girl’s legal guardian, and court or police orders, often causing critical delays.
According to Soumya, the long-drawn procedure may be one of the reasons why most such cases end up in the hands of unethical doctors and foetuses are dumped at public places.
