This project gives a description on the offences done with children under IPC. This project gives the details about the crimes like sexual acts, kidnapping, homicides, foeticides. It tells about the different sections that are made for the criminals who perform the crime against children. These criminals simply use the children for their own use and make their own profit out of their innocence. Some cases have also been described in this project where the criminals have been punished for their acts.

Introduction
The most unguarded and decent victim of crimes are children and crimes are committed against them in the society. The most important legislations approved for protection of children's rights and secure their safety are the POSCO Act and Juvenile Justice Act. The Indian Penal Code, 1860 gives a description about the various misdeeds which are performed against children and punish their task under the various sections of the IPC. Homicide, foeticides, kidnapping, sexual acts are some of the offences that come under the IPC, 1860.

Section 302- Murder

Murder has been defined in Section 302, it's a sort of wrongdoing of the culpable homicide. Basically, the functions that are exception under Section 302, come under culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Offence of murder, if is committed by anyone, then that person is blameworthy under Section 302, which includes death, or imprisonment for all times. The execution is announced in very rare cases where the collective ethics or values of the whole group anticipates that the holders of judicial powers is centred to impose such penalization regardless of the opinions of the accused, even if the victim is an innocent child.

Section 305- Abetment of Suicide

Influence of suicide done by the people to the children for the commitment of suicide: Section 305 of IPC states that if any individual who encourages children to perform suicide, and if the suicide is committed by the individual who is under eighteen-year age will get punishment of death or life imprisonment, or imprisonment up to 10 years. This facility is predicted on the principle of public policy to stop other peoples' participation, prompting and assisting within end of a youngster's life.

Kidnapping and Abduction

Kidnapping of any type reduces freedom of any private, by that disturb the protection of life and proper liberty which is justified under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. Section 359 of IPC acknowledges two types of Kidnapping

1. Kidnapping from India; and
2. Kidnapping from lawful guardianship.[1]

A person who commits kidnapping shall get punishment under Section 363 of IPC with detention of 7 years.

Section 360- Kidnapping for exporting

Section 360 states that whenever a person is sent beyond or outside of India without his/ her permission by an another person, he/she commits the crime of abducting the person from India. This clearly shows that the wrongdoing is finished at that time when the individual was sent outside localized area of India, but this needs effort to perform under the principle of locus poenitentiae.

Section 361- Kidnapping from lawful guardianship

Section 361 involves alluring or letting go of children under the age of 18 years from the guardianship which are legal without their permission. The work of this section provides protection and safety to the minors so that they don't get depraved, injured or used by others.

Section 364A- Kidnapping for Ransom

Section 364A states that if anyone gets kidnapped or captured and is being retarded by someone and is being logically nervous for death or hurt for some forced ransom, will be punished with death or life imprisonment. Section 364A was added in the IPC with the help of legal code Act, 1993 for providing punishments to such an offense.

Section 363A- Kidnapping for begging

Section 363A was brought in the year 1959 for the expansion of systemised begging, where unethical people abducted children and taught them lesson on the aim that how to beg. The rule was also introduced if any child under lawful guardianship uses the child for begging, then unless it is proven, the children will be assumed to be kidnapped. This section includes serious punishments for 10 years and if the child is injured during these offences, the culprit will be punished of imprisonment for the injury at all times.

Section 366- Kidnapping to compel from marriage

Section 366 states that if any woman gets kidnapped for forcing her to marry someone with whom she doesn't want to marry or she would be forced to come into sexual intercourse will be put in the jail for up to 10 years.

If such crime is committed by hiring the means of abuse of authority, an equivalent penalizing shall apply. The Supreme Court of Bombay, in the case of Emperor v. Ayubkhan Mir Sultan, has given the rule that a minor's assent will not be entertained in this section to marry the accused, it is an offence in every circumstances.

Later, Apex Court declared in the judgement of Thakorlal D Vadgama v. State of Gujarat, if the accused laid a base by attraction and if this attraction promotes a minor to get away from the guardian, then it will become tough for the accused to request innocence on the bottom and the minor himself came to him with his own assent.

Section 367- Kidnapping for slavery etc.

Section 367 penalizes the people who capture children to make him/her perform slavery/ unnatural lust with anyone or imprisonment till 10 years.

Section 369- Kidnapping for stealing from its person

Under 10 years aged only: Section 369 states that the punishment will be given to those who capture children till the age of 10 years so as to stealing from the property of such person of the child ad it makes wrongdoer responsible of up to 7 years.

Section 366A- Procuration of minor girls

An individual under Section 366-A is for incentive to force or seduce, it is important to determine the minor girl who is below the age of 18 years has been persuaded to travel from one place to another without the intention of the child. The accused is punishable with imprisonment of up to 10 years.

Section 372- Selling of minors for prostitution

Section 372 states that there is a punishment to trade an individual who is below the age of 18 years of either sex for making them a sex worker. This wrongdoing gets complete once a minor is rented without their knowledge and this offence if performed by someone will be punished with the imprisonment of up to 10 years.

Section 373- Buying of minors for prostitution

Section 373 is for those people or crimes who hire people under the age of 18 years for further use as a sex worker or for other unlawful uses. More to this, this offence committed against the female known to be a specified maliciousness unless proven.

Rape

Section 375(6) of the IPC states that the work related to sexual activities in any of the formation which is given in the clause (a), (b), (c), and (d), with a girl who is below the age of 18 years results in rape, regardless of the girl's consent for this type of acts. It is declared that the minor girl's consent is irrelevant and unimportant on this ground that she is incapable of thinking and to give her consent. The Legislature assumes that these girls are tempted into these type of activities without knowing the outcomes. In this section under the Exception 2, protects women under age of 15 years from any sexual acts.

The wrongdoing of rape which is committed against the girls is punished under the IPC as follows:
 

Section 376(3)	Rape of woman under 16 years of age	Rigorous imprisonment of not less than 20 years/life & fine
Section 376-AB	Rape of woman under 12 years of age	Rigorous imprisonment of not less than 20 years/life & fine, or death
Section 376-DA	Gang rape of woman under 16 years of age	Imprisonment for life & fine
Section 376-DB	Gang rape of woman under 12 years of age	Imprisonment for life & fine, or death

Offences against new born and unborn children

The wrongdoings which are done against the new born and unborn child given under the IPC, 1860 includes from Sections 312-318, i.e., causing of injuries, miscarriages to the unborn babies, concealment of births, desertion of infants and secretly disposing of the dead bodies.

Causing Miscarriage

Sections 312, 313 & 314 affect the wrongdoing of causing thwarting and its annoying forms, differentiating the accountability into 2 categories with regard to women's assent and reference of her being with child or quick with child.

Essential Ingredients

Voluntarily Causing Miscarriage

The rules given under the given Sections can be implied to such cases where miscarriage is caused by their own choice. Section 39 of the IPC defines voluntarily as to cause intentionally. Mens rea is an important element of this offence.

Woman with child and Woman quick with child

The factum of pregnancy may be a prerequisite to the offence. The sections provide distinct liabilities for offences against a lady who is understood to be with child or quick with child. within the case of Queen-Empress v. Ademma, it had been held that the moment a lady conceives and therefore the gestation period/ pregnancy begins, the lady is claimed to be with child; while in another case of Re: Malayara Seethu, a woman quick with child was mentioned as a more advanced stage of pregnancy wherein quickening is seemed to be the mother's stimulus to the movement of her foetus. However, an offence against a lady quick with child is an aggravated sort of that against a lady with child, and hence, the punishment prescribed for the latter is imprisonment for up to 3 years/ fine/ both, and for the previous is up to 7 years with fine.

Miscarriage

The term miscarriage has not been defined under the IPC and its usage is synonymous to abortion. within the legal context, miscarriage is that the premature expulsion of the merchandise of conception at any time before the complete term is reached; while medically, three distinct terms of abortion, miscarriage, and premature labor are wont to indicate the expulsion of the foetus at different stages of gestation. Miscarriage is especially used if such expulsion occurs from the fourth to the seventh month, before it's viable.[2]

Consent of Woman

Sections 312 & 313 affect the aspect of the woman's consent against whom such offence is committed. Section 312 envisages things where the lady consents to the causing of a miscarriage of her foetus and is held equally susceptible to the committing of such offence with imprisonment of up to 7 years and fine. Section 313, on the opposite hand, manifests a way graver sort of such offence, i.e. committed without that woman's consent and hence is susceptible to imprisonment for all times, or up to 10 years & fine.

Miscarriage resulting in the death of woman

According to Section 314 of the IPC, an act through with the intention of causing miscarriage, when leads to the death of such woman, it's an offence liable with imprisonment of up to 10 years and fine. Provided, if the lady was one to be quick with child, or if such offence was committed without the woman's consent, then it's considered a more serious offence and hence could also be punishable with imprisonment for all times. it's to be stated here that intention to cause/ knowledge of the act likely to cause death isn't an important element for it to constitute an offence under this Section, but an immediate nexus between the act done and therefore the death of the lady has got to be established before the Court.

Exceptions
Exceptions to the offence of causing miscarriage/ abortion are twofold:

• Good faith:
  Section 312 of the IPC exempts such persons who cause miscarriage in straightness (as defined under Section 52) to save lots of the woman's life.
  In the case of Dr. Jacob George V. State of Kerala, a surgery for abortion was performed by a quack on a lady together with her consent, which resulted in her death thanks to the perforation of her uterus. The Supreme Court affirmed his conviction while laying down the principle that an individual might be held liable under this section if the abortion isn't administered in straightness for the aim of saving the woman's life.
  
  In another case of State of Maharashtra v. Flora Santuno Kutino, one among the respondents, who had illicit relations with a lady & pregnated her, was instrumental in causing miscarriage, and hence, was convicted by the supreme court since such miscarriage was caused, not in straightness, but to wipe off his illicit relationship.
   
• Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971:
  It had been enacted to legalise the termination of certain pregnancies by registered medical practitioners so as to supply for safe abortions. The Act, prevailing over the aforementioned provisions of IPC, allows a lady to legally abort her pregnancy if its continuance would be injurious to her life (physically/mentally); if the foetus is detected with abnormalities; or if such pregnancy may be a results of rape or failure of contraceptives.

Injury to an unborn child

Sections 315 & 316 envisage the provisions concerning injury caused to an unborn child. They cover the situations where an act is completed with the intention of preventing such child to change state alive; or causing the death of a toddler who's quick unborn by an act amounting to culpable homicide.

Essential Ingredients of Section 316

Act to be born before the birth of the child
An essential element under these two provisions is that the culpable act/actus reus should be done before the kid is born resulting into the prevention of such child being born alive or cause it to die after its birth. It merely covers injury caused to an unborn child, since whence such act is committed after the birth of the kid, itd be addressed other provisions of the IPC.

Intention

Section 315 declares that the intention to stop a toddler from being born alive/to cause it to die after its birth is important to the offence committed thereunder, except when wiped out straightness for the aim of saving the mother's life. An offender under this Section shall be liable with imprisonment which can reach 10 years/fine/both.

Causing death of quick unborn child by acting amounting to culpable homicide

Section 316 may be a graver variant of Section 315, wherein the act is completed with the intention/ malice aforethought to commit an offence amounting to culpable homicide (presumably of the mother), which act though doesn't cause the death of the mother, but causes the death of a fast unborn child, and is punishable with imprisonment of up to 10 years and fine. Further, if the wrongdoing leads to the death of the mother, then it shall amount to culpable homicide.

Abandonment and exposure of an infant

Section 317 of the IPC deals with the offence of exposing a toddler under twelve years aged with an intention of wholly abandoning it, done by a parent or a person having care of it. An offender under this Section shall be liable with imprisonment of up to 7 years/fine/both.

Conclusion
It has been understood now that the offences mentioned above concerning about the infants or the new born and the unborn, are highlighted by the pressure which the society gives us and the judgments which have values on the unwedded mothers. The male members of the society are equally responsible, the social shame and the avoidance is placed on the lady only, which successively leads to the child's abortion.

Moreover, things like desertion of child is usually seen in the cases of female child only. This behaviour and mind set which is spread in the society has to change and there are many reforms that are being performed. The IPC in accordance to the legal code has recognised annoying types of offences which are performed against the children. Minors are still prone and are exploited in the working of crimes. Therefore, strict enforced mechanisms are to be used to counter the issue so as to make sure that the protection of infants and new born and to ensure the safety of them.

Award Winning Article Is Written By: Mr.Astitva Vatsa

Authentication No: MA34085868489-19-0521