The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved cleared a path-breaking bill dealing exclusively with sexual offences against children. The 'sexual offences against children bill' seeks to make sexual intercourse or 'contact with sexual intent' with a child below 18 years – illegal.

The bill proposes stringent provisions ranging from three years' imprisonment to life term for a person who commits sexual harassment, sexual assault, penetrative sexual assault or aggravated penetrative sexual assault.
The bill recommends 10 years of imprisonment extendable to life imprisonment and fine for aggravated sexual assault.

It will be treated as an aggravated offence where the child victim is below 12 years or has mental or physical disability or the sexual offence causes grievous hurt or injury to the child with long term adverse effect on the child’s mind and body.

The bill mooted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) is in response to the increasing incidents of sexual offences against children. However, these are dogged by a low conviction rate.