Analysis of Cases Under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Retrospective Descriptive Study From Chennai.
- 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, IND.
Abstract
Background and aim Child sexual abuse is a significant public health crisis globally. Despite mandatory reporting requirements under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, systematic hospital-based data on the clinical and obstetric profiles of POCSO victims from individual tertiary care centers in Chennai remain limited. This study aimed to describe the clinico-socioeconomic profile, mode of communication, violence, pregnancy outcome, and medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) in POCSO cases, with a specific focus on victims aged under 18 years presenting with a continuing pregnancy. Materials and methods A hospital-based retrospective descriptive study was conducted at Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital, Chennai. Data were extracted from the accident register or AR book for all POCSO cases recorded from January 2025 to June 2026 (18 months). No patient consent was required as this was a record-based retrospective study. A total of 250 cases were analyzed. Results The mean victim age was 15.2 years, and 60.0% were aged 16-17 years. Based on socioeconomic classification, 80.8% belonged to the lower middle class. Social media was the predominant grooming channel (57.6%), with Instagram (27.6%) and WhatsApp (23.6%) (Menlo Park, CA: Meta Platforms, Inc.) leading. Elopement was documented in 45.6%. Juvenile alleged offenders constituted 23.2%. Violence was present in 9.2%; physical injuries in 5.2%. Pregnancy was detected in 27.6% (n=69). Among pregnant victims, 56.5% (n=39) initially expressed willingness to continue the pregnancy, all aged 14-18 years, predominantly from the 16-17 year group (71.8%), 87.2% from the lower middle class, with 89.7% having no contraception awareness. Overall, MTP was subsequently performed in 88.4% (n=61) of pregnant victims, with 85.2% of terminations occurring between 12 and 20 weeks of gestation. Willingness to continue pregnancy was recorded at the time of initial assessment and represented the patient's stated preference at presentation; it did not necessarily correspond to the subsequent pregnancy outcome. Conclusion The subgroup of pregnant victims who wished to continue the pregnancy constituted a distinct medico-legal group requiring multidisciplinary co-management. Digital literacy, reproductive health education, and child marriage prevention are essential priorities.
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BibTeX
@article{vanitha2026analysis,
title = {{Analysis of Cases Under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Retrospective Descriptive Study From Chennai.}},
author = {Vanitha V and Shanthi S and Jebakkani J and Anusuya P},
journal = {Cureus},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.7759/cureus.116814},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42926961},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Analysis of Cases Under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Retrospective Descriptive Study From Chennai.
AU - Vanitha V
AU - Shanthi S
AU - Jebakkani J
AU - Anusuya P
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/24
JO - Cureus
DO - 10.7759/cureus.116814
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42926961
AB - Background and aim Child sexual abuse is a significant public health crisis globally. Despite mandatory reporting requirements under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, systematic hospital-based data on the clinical and obstetric profiles of POCSO victims from individual tertiary care centers in Chennai remain limited. This study aimed to describe the clinico-socioeconomic profile, mode of communication, violence, pregnancy outcome, and medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) in POCSO cases, with a specific focus on victims aged under 18 years presenting with a continuing pregnancy. Materials and methods A hospital-based retrospective descriptive study was conducted at Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital, Chennai. Data were extracted from the accident register or AR book for all POCSO cases recorded from January 2025 to June 2026 (18 months). No patient consent was required as this was a record-based retrospective study. A total of 250 cases were analyzed. Results The mean victim age was 15.2 years, and 60.0% were aged 16-17 years. Based on socioeconomic classification, 80.8% belonged to the lower middle class. Social media was the predominant grooming channel (57.6%), with Instagram (27.6%) and WhatsApp (23.6%) (Menlo Park, CA: Meta Platforms, Inc.) leading. Elopement was documented in 45.6%. Juvenile alleged offenders constituted 23.2%. Violence was present in 9.2%; physical injuries in 5.2%. Pregnancy was detected in 27.6% (n=69). Among pregnant victims, 56.5% (n=39) initially expressed willingness to continue the pregnancy, all aged 14-18 years, predominantly from the 16-17 year group (71.8%), 87.2% from the lower middle class, with 89.7% having no contraception awareness. Overall, MTP was subsequently performed in 88.4% (n=61) of pregnant victims, with 85.2% of terminations occurring between 12 and 20 weeks of gestation. Willingness to continue pregnancy was recorded at the time of initial assessment and represented the patient's stated preference at presentation; it did not necessarily correspond to the subsequent pregnancy outcome. Conclusion The subgroup of pregnant victims who wished to continue the pregnancy constituted a distinct medico-legal group requiring multidisciplinary co-management. Digital literacy, reproductive health education, and child marriage prevention are essential priorities.
SN - 2168-8184
ER -