Child Sexual Abuse under India’s POCSO Act: A Scoping Review of Clinical and Medico-legal Characteristics

This scoping review mapped reported victim, alleged perpetrator, clinical, forensic, psychological, and legal process characteristics in child sexual abuse cases under India’s POCSO Act. Following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidance, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched for English-language studies published from 2012 to July 15, 2026. The searches identified 227 records; 61 duplicates were removed, and 166 records screened. Nineteen full texts were assessed, 12 were excluded, and seven studies were included. The studies used hospital, forensic laboratory, mental health, and police records, with sample sizes from 21 to 114. Female victims were reported in all seven studies, although proportions and age distributions varied. Six studies reported a combined known/ stranger classification, while the Chamarajanagar district study reported strangers as the largest relationship category. Clinical and forensic findings were reported inconsistently. Two studies provided numerical genital and hymenal injury data; one reported extragenital injury and pregnancy data; and none provided numerical anal-injury or positive forensic finding data in the outcome matrix. Psychological and legal outcomes were reported in a few studies. In the single study with case-status data, two of 35 cases were recorded as convicted, and 25 remained pending at review. These findings describe selected records and cannot be used to estimate population prevalence. Clearer definitions and complete outcome reporting are needed.