Indo-Kuwait Friendship Society, Kuwait (www.indo-kuwaitfriendshipsociety.com) welcomes passage of the new law, named as “Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill 2011. Under the provisions of the bill, any sexual activity, with children under 18 years of age or between two minors, even if consensual, would be considered rape and subject to prosecution. This raises the age limit from 16. According to a 2007 study on child abuse by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, over half of the children surveyed reported having “faced one or more forms of sexual abuse in India.”

Establishing toll-free helpline for street children in distress and setting up of special courts for the speedy trial of sex offence cases and provide punishment of up to life imprisonment for the offenders . IKFS considers it as a major step forward in fighting child sexual abuse. . The legislation also provides for child-friendly measures, such as in-camera recording of trials, recording the statement of the child involved with the assistance of an interpreter, and prohibiting the detention of a child victim at a police station at night.

IKFS congratulates UPA Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.,in addition to, deep appreciation to Superstar: Bolly-wood actor Aamir Khan as being instrumental through his recent television shows “Satyamev Jayate” exploring incidents of sexual abuses thru several episodes.

Dr. Ghalib Al-Mashoor, President said that India has now ratified a specific law to protect children from sexual offenses and fulfilled the agreement as being one of the signatories of “1992 convention of United Nations on the Rights of the Child”. Long Live People of India and Long Live Children of the World.