Police & notices › Sexual assault or child abuse
A child was abused
What usually matters in this situation, and the papers to keep ready before you meet an advocate or free legal aid (call 15100).
Your situation
- Who was harmed? A child
Where you stand
- In your favour You can file at any police station (Zero FIR), and your identity must be kept confidential.
- Next step You can claim compensation from the state victim compensation scheme, even during the case.
Papers to gather
- Medical examination report and treatment records
Medical evidence is time-sensitive and key. Where: Any hospital — they must treat you free. - Messages, calls, photos or anything the person sent
Supports your account. Where: Your phone. - Your own notes: what happened, when, where — written as soon as you can
Memory fades; notes help later. - Names of anyone you told afterwards
Witnesses to what you said soon after. - Age proof of the child (birth certificate, school record)
POCSO applies to anyone under 18. Where: Family / school.
You may also need, depending on your answers
- Clothes worn at the time, unwashed, in a paper bag — May hold forensic evidence.
- Copy of the FIR (free) and your statement — You are entitled to a free copy.
What the law says
Rape and sexual offences are crimes under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (including Sections 63–64 for rape, 74–79 for assault and harassment). Offences against children are covered by the POCSO Act, 2012, under which reporting is compulsory. Under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023: an FIR can be filed at any police station (Zero FIR) and should be recorded by a woman officer; the survivor must be medically examined by a registered doctor, with consent; all hospitals must give free first aid and treatment; and victims can claim compensation from the state. Publishing a survivor’s identity is a crime.
General information, not legal advice.
Saboot will also ask
- First: are you safe right now?
- When did it happen?
- Is the person known to you?
- Have you told the police?
Similar situations
Sources
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
- Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
- Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012
- One Stop Centres for women (Ministry of WCD)
- NALSA — free legal aid
The full guide: Rape, sexual assault or molestation — or a child was sexually abused · All situations