Kerala: Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act fails to know tribe life

KOZHIKODE: Human rights activists in Wayanad are up in arms against the arbitrarily slapping of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) on tribal youth on charges of ‘raping’ minor girls. The POCSO provisions are in conflict with the decades-old tribal custom which permits girls to live with the man they select, irrespective of age. Demanding the exclusion of tribal marriages from POCSO and to dispose of the cases, right activists and the relatives of the victims would conduct a hunger strike in front of Wayanad Collectorate on March 20.

“Wayanad recorded the maximum number of POCSO cases last year. Tribal men were trapped here for the need of Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and other agencies to achieve their number target,” alleged Dr P. G. Hari, rights activist.  Men from Paniya, Kattunayaka community, were most of the POCSO victims. In 2015, 20 young tribesmen were jailed under POCSO charges. Shivadasan of Kallur Thiruvannur colony of Muthanga, Aneesh of Panappady colony in Muthanga, Abhi of Choorimoola colony, Babu of Theyyathom colony of Ambalavayal are a few of them. All were bailed out after spending months in jail once the issue made headlines in media but the cases are not disposed of.

“It is our custom that a girl who attained puberty can select her men though she is under-18. She then starts living with the man during temple fest at ‘Ooru’ or any other auspicious occasions. Such couples are being booked by police and the husbands charged with rape,” said Shivadas, who belongs to Paniya. Currently, Suresh of Thakarappady colony is still at Vythiri Sub Jail for ‘raping’ his wife which occurred two years back. The protestors allege that POCSO is being used leniently for persons like former CWC chairman Fr Thomas Joseph Therakam and brutally against tribals.