Sexual offences: mandatory reporting: practice question

A Forensic Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Forensic Medicine · Sexual offences: mandatory reporting

Sample item

A doctor in a hospital examines a 14-year-old girl who is four months pregnant, brought by her mother, who asks that no police be informed. Which course is consistent with the POCSO Act 2012?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. Treat the girl and report the matter to the police or the special juvenile police unit, regardless of the family's wishes

The POCSO Act applies to children under 18 years, and any person, including a doctor, who knows or suspects such an offence must report it to the police or special juvenile police unit. Failure to report is itself an offence. The child must also receive care and a medical examination without any need for a prior police requisition.

Option by option

  • A. Report only after the family consents

    Consent of the family is not a condition of reporting.

  • B. Respect the mother's request for confidentiality and take no further action

    Family wishes cannot override the legal duty to report.

  • C. Wait until the girl reaches 18 years before reporting

    There is no provision to wait until adulthood.

  • D. Treat the girl and report the matter to the police or the special juvenile police unit, regardless of the family's wishes (correct)

    Correct. Reporting is mandatory when a sexual offence against a child is suspected.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is D, Treat the girl and report the matter to the police or the special juvenile police unit, regardless of the family's wishes. The POCSO Act applies to children under 18 years, and any person, including a doctor, who knows or suspects such an offence must report it to the police or special juvenile police unit.

Why is "Report only after the family consents" not the answer?

Consent of the family is not a condition of reporting.

Why is "Respect the mother's request for confidentiality and take no further…" not the answer?

Family wishes cannot override the legal duty to report.

Why is "Wait until the girl reaches 18 years before reporting" not the answer?

There is no provision to wait until adulthood.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Sexual offences: mandatory reporting in Forensic Medicine. Failure to report is itself an offence. The child must also receive care and a medical examination without any need for a prior police requisition.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Sexual offences: mandatory reporting?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.