Maneka Gandhi Seeks Raise in Time Span of Reporting Sexual Abuse to 30 Years
For the first time, the National Commission for Women is going into every case which has been reported to us.
New Delhi, October 3: Ministry of Women and Child Development is mulling over increasing the time limit for lodging complaints of sexual harassment to 30 years. Speaking to reporters, Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi, said, "What we would like to do is to get this government to raise the age to file a complaint in the matter so that those who were molested as children can complain till 30 years of age." The Minister's revelation has come amidst the furore over actress Tanushree Dutta accusing Nana Patekar of inappropriate behaviour on the sets of a film in 2008. Dutta's claims have whipped up a storm in socio-political circles, with several people either coming forward to her support, while many others either questioning her or dodging the issue from commenting. Maneka Gandhi Says There Will Be More Cases of Shelter Home Sexual Abuse As for Years 'We Have Not Paid Attention'.
Last year, a social media campaign #MeToo was launched to demonstrate the problem of sexual misconduct. Millions of people responded, sharing their experiences of having faced sexual harassment. Batting for a similar #MeToo campaign, so that more women should feel encouraged to come forward and complain, Maneka Gandhi said harassment of any kind will not be tolerated.
"I feel we should also start something called 'Me Too India' in which any woman who has been harassed at any point should write to us and we should investigate. For the first time, the National Commission for Women is going into every case which has been reported to us. We go in detail and literally, we have solved several thousand cases," she said. Section 468 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) lays down the time limitations for filing a complaint after an offence has taken place.