Cases of child sexual abuse registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), recorded a 67% increase in 2015, as per data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
A total of 8,800 cases of rape were registered under the POCSO Act last year. The data also re-iterates an already known truth: in a majority of cases, i.e. nearly 95% of them, the alleged offenders were known to the victims and included family members, relatives, employers and neighbours.
"5 o' clock Accidents", an award-winning short-film released recently by Nirman Foundation, revolves around the life of a victim called Apu.
Directed by Ruchir Arun, the film in the beginning shows how Apu mysteriously falls prey to what seem like random accidents, with each one taking place at 5 o' clock.
What unravels next gives a peek into what child sexual abuse victims feel and go through and how they are often scared to open up, even to their parents.
The film has a boy as its protagonist, which helps in debunking the perception that only girls can be sexually abused.
Watch the video here: