The Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry is set to move a proposal before the Cabinet this week for enhanced punishment in cases of sexual assault of male children, a senior official said.

The Law Ministry has cleared the proposal to amend the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, for enhancing punishment in cases of sexual assault against young boys, officials said.

“Amendments to the POCSO Act for enhanced punishment for sexual assaults of young boys have been approved by the Law Ministry. It will be sent to the Cabinet in two-three days, the WCD Ministry official said, without elaborating on the details of the proposal.

Sources said the Ministry was working on the proposal to amend the Act to award death penalty to those convicted of raping children below 12 years. The move is being seen as an effort to bring in a gender-neutral law while dealing with cases of sexual assaults. Earlier, WCD Minister Maneka Gandhi had supported a petition on Change.org by filmmaker-activist Insia Dariwala, who said, “male child sexual abuse is an ignored reality in India”.

Boys who are sexually abused as children spend a lifetime in silence, she said.

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