Authors: Senthil Kumar R, Y.S Bansal, N.C Priyadarshini
Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is a global problem and leads to many long-term serious complications to the abused child. Children do not disclose the abuse readily for many reasons which lead to a delay in reporting to healthcare setup. In many cases due to this delayed presentation, the examiner cannot find any physical signs of abuse; however, Child Forensic Interviewing (CFI) may give vital clues regarding the abuse and the perpetrator(s). The western countries have already established scientific protocols and techniques to conduct CFI, but in India till now it is an untouched topic. This review article addresses the importance of making interview models and techniques, and also discusses available guidelines, for effective execution of CFI in accordance with the POCSO Act, 2012. Keywords: Child forensic interviewing, Child sexual abuse, POCSO Act, Child advocacy centres, Interview models.
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