Proposing amendments to theGoa Childrens Act, 2003, thegovernments victim assistance unit(VAU) has recommended the deletion of section 2(d) which states that a child is any person who has not completed 16 years of age and the inclusion of a provision which states that a child should be defined as anyone who is under the age of 18 years.
The propositions, which have been aimed at removing anomalies between state and central legislations, also include increasing the punishment period of perpetrators.
The Goa Childrens Act has not been amended for the last 17 years. The last amendments were carried out in 2004 and 2005 and were minor in nature.
The amendments have been proposed to strengthen the Goa Childrens Act, which was one of the first acts to define all types of child abuse and offer mechanisms to provide support to victims.