Experts Dispute Minister Aadhav Arjuna Linking Pocso Cases to Drug Culture

During the assembly session in Chennai on Monday, Tamil Nadu Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Aadhav Arjuna attributed a 40 percent rise in Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) cases between 2023 and 2026 to the state's inability to crack down on drug culture, which he claimed arrived in 2020. However, psychologists and child protection experts have contested this correlation, calling it factually unsubstantiated.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data released in 2024, Tamil Nadu topped the list of drug overdose deaths with 313 reported. Currently, more than 18,000 Pocso cases remain pending across courts in the state.

Vidya Reddy, co-founder of Tulir - Centre for prevention and healing of child sexual abuse, questioned the minister's assertions. She pointed out that in 95 percent of child sexual abuse cases, the perpetrator is known to the child and the offence takes place inside the home. She termed the minister's remark "ignorant myopia" and stated that conflating drug use with sexual violence ignores systemic issues, such as whether sporting associations in Tamil Nadu have adequate child protection policies.

Psychologists noted that research does not support drug use as a direct cause of child sexual abuse. Psychologist S Usharani explained that while drugs and alcohol may lower inhibitions, impair judgement, and reduce self-control in individuals with pre-existing abusive impulses, they do not create sexual interest in children or cause paedophilia. She added that reporting has increased in recent years because children are better educated about inappropriate touch and families feel more empowered to seek help compared to earlier decades before the Pocso Act was introduced in 2012.

Criminology experts also downplayed the link. K Jaishankar, professor of criminology and justice sciences at the Bengaluru-based International Institute of Justice & Police Sciences, described the correlation between drug abuse and Pocso cases as "faint," noting that online pornography and child sexual abuse material have a far stronger connection.

Soumya Shankar Raman, COO at the Chennai-based TT Ranganathan Clinical Research Foundation (TTK Hospital), noted that while substance abuse can increase vulnerability—with adults sometimes luring teenagers or vulnerable girls with drugs before exploiting them—it is incorrect to claim that rising drug use is the direct driver behind the increase in Pocso cases.