ndia introduces death penalty for child rapists
21 April 2018
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Demonstrators in Jammu demand tougher sentences for child rapists, 19 April 2018Image copyrightAFP
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Reported rapes of children had more than doubled in India between 2012 and 2016
India's Cabinet has approved the introduction of the death penalty for child rapists, amid uproar over a series of high-profile cases.
The change to the country's penal code applies to those convicted of raping a child under the age of 12.
There have been nationwide protests in recent weeks over the gang rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl.
The government has come under fire for not doing enough to prevent sexual-assault cases, many involving children.
A number of serious crimes in India carry the death penalty, but raping a child was not among them until now.
Nearly 19,000 cases were registered in India in 2016 - more than 50 each day.