Juvenile in Conflict with Law or Child in Need of Care and Protection: Victimization of Male Children in Consensual Sexual Relationship

Abstract

India i.e. Bharat has enacted Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 to protect the children from sexual offences committed against them. Although the Act contains stringent provisions to deter any kind sexual offence against children yet the improper application of law in the country defeats the entire purpose of the legislation and even criminalizes the romantic relationship among adolescent and in turn deprived them from their sexual autonomy. Though the legislation is gender neutral in its spirit yet the male children are being labelled as children in conflict with law and get punished arbitrarily against the spirit of the Act. This paper looks into the improper application of law and its effect on romantic love among adolescents and the role of judicial system with suggestive course correction.