Love on trial: India’s age of consent controversy

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Set against the backdrop of one of the world’s toughest child protection laws, Love on Trial explores how India’s landmark Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) is reshaping the lives of young people. Introduced after the 2012 Delhi gang rape, POCSO has been praised for exposing hidden abuse, trafficking, and child marriage. But as reported cases surge into the tens of thousands each year, a growing number involve teenagers in consensual relationships who now face investigation, trial, and the possibility of long prison terms. Through testimony from lawyers, campaigners, families, and young people themselves, the documentary examines how a law designed to protect children can also criminalise young couples, strain families, and devastate education and career prospects—while still remaining a vital safeguard against exploitation and serious sexual violence. Voices on all sides of the debate grapple with a central question: can India defend children robustly without punishing consensual teenage relationships, and should the age of consent be changed? Presenter: Brishbhanu Baruah in Assam Producer: Ashley Byrne and Andrew Edwards A Made in Manchester Production for the BBC World Service