Sexual abuse of boys: 2 acquittals for every conviction in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Sexually assaulted boys turning hostile during trial is posing a major challenge in securing convictions in Karnataka, according to prosecutors, investigators and activists involved in counselling sexual abuse survivors. State police data accessed by TOI reveals that for every conviction in Pocso cases where the survivors are boys, there have been more than two acquittals over the past four years.
From 2021 till Oct 31, 2024, there were 114 cases registered for sexual assault of boys under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Of them, only seven have ended in convictions, as against 18 acquittals. The remaining cases are still under trial.
While 24 cases of sexual harassment against minor boys were registered in 2021, the number rose to 25 in 2022 and 33 in 2023. The first 10 months of this year saw 32 cases.
On the poor conviction rate, ADGP (law and order) R Hitendra told TOI: "The survivor, who would be a minor during the incident, could have turned an adult during the trial. He could turn hostile owing to reasons like social stigma. Such incidents psychologically damage survivors."
While not ruling out the tendency of families keeping cases of sexual assault of boys under wraps, Hitendra said, "In most cases of sexual harassment of boys, complaints are lodged only in case of serious injury or damage. Such boys are emotionally affected and many turn hostile as they become adults during trial."
Stanley KV, co-founder of the Mysuru-based Odanadi, an NGO involved in rehabilitating survivors of sexual assaults and trafficking, said as boys grow into adults, they are imbued with "male pride" and aren't ready to accept being subjected to sexual assault.
"Male pride doesn't permit male survivors to accept in courts that they were sexually assaulted, and this is why many turn hostile. They need proper counselling. Psychosocial and sexual counselling will help them overcome such embarrassment and stand firm during trial," he said.
The state police numbers, though, are at variance with those collated by Odanadi, which revealed 334 cases of sexual harassment of minor boys were registered in the state during 2021-24. According to Stanley, the NGO got its data from the women and child welfare department through an RTI application.
Asked about the differences in data, Hitendra merely said the data provided by state police is based on FIRs registered.
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SOME RECENT CASES
April 2021: Two men, including a truck driver, were arrested on charges of sexually harassing a minor boy in Gauribidanur, Chikkaballapur district. According to the boy, he was playing near the house of one of the accused when they gave him Rs 50 and asked him to bring two cigarettes. When the boy returned with the cigarettes, they sexually assaulted him. Later, his parents filed a complaint against the accused — G Ashok and N Lokesh. Investigating officers from Gauribidanur Rural police station filed a watertight chargesheet against the accused. In Feb 2022, a fast-track Pocso court found them guilty and sentenced them to rigorous imprisonment of 20 years each.
Dec 2022: A youth and his mother were booked under Pocso Act for allegedly sexually harassing a 10-year-old Kerala-based boy in Nandi Hills. According to the survivor's mother, she, her son, the accused youth, and his mother had visited Nandi Hills when the youth inappropriately touched the 10-year-old. The act was allegedly noticed by the youth's mother, but she kept silent, said the survivor's mother in her complaint. The complaint was filed in Kerala and the case transferred to Nandi Hills police station a few months ago. The accused were arrested and the case is under investigation.
Jan 2024: The parents of a 16-year-old student filed a complaint in Gauribidanur taluk against his teacher (a woman) for allegedly sexually harassing him during a study tour. An obscene picture of the student and the accused teacher, taken by the latter, went viral on social media. The incident badly affected the survivor's academic performance. The case is under trial now.