New Delhi: Data released by the National Criminal Records Bureau (NCRB) shows a sharp rise in crimes against children across India to 53,874 in 2021 alone under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Crimes) Act. The incident has been registered and is causing serious concern. .
According to the NCRB, a total of 1,49,404 crimes against children were registered in 2021, up from 1,28,531 in 2020, an increase of 16.2%. A third of her crimes against children are registered under her POCSO law, according to NCRB statistics.
In 2021, a total of 33,348 cases were registered under Sections 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act (Punishment for Penetrative Sexual Assault and Aggravated Penetrative Sexual Assault). Of these cases, 33,036 were girls and 312 were boys.
However, child abduction cases are much higher, with 67,245 registered, posing a challenge for law enforcement across the country.
Delhi tops the list of federal territories with 7,783 registered crimes against children in 2021, while Nagaland has the lowest number of registered crimes against children.
The total incidence of crime against children has increased from 28.9% in 2020 to 33.6% in 2021.
NCRB data reveals a disturbing picture of 140 children being raped and murdered in 2021 and another 1,402 murdered. Uttar Pradesh, one of India’s largest states, had the highest number of reported crimes against children.
“With 121 pesticide cases registered last year, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat (23 each) reported the highest number of cases, followed by Chhattisgarh (21) and Rajasthan (13). ) followed, with 359 cases of assisted child suicide also reported,” according to the data.
The data reveals that 49,535 children were abducted nationwide last year. Maharashtra (9,415) tops the list, followed by Madhya Pradesh (8,224), Orissa (5,135) and West Bengal (4,026).
“As many as 29,364 children were declared missing and subsequently presumed abducted. Also, 1,046 children were trafficked last year. Nearly 5,345 children will be kidnapped in Delhi in 2021.” , it said.
Data show that there were 982 cases registered under child labor laws last year, with states like Telangana (305) having the highest number of cases reported, followed by Assam. It said 1,062 cases were registered under child marriage laws last year, with the top three states being Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Assam.
Anindit Roy Chowdhury of the NGO Bal Raksha Bharat (Save the Children, India) said the government should all come together as co-partners and the government is the various agencies to ensure child protection across the country. said.
“Remedial mechanisms should be simple and accessible so that children and communities are more likely to report crimes. We need to build the capacity of our child protection workforce to oppose children in a humane and appropriate way,” he said.
“We also need to create strong community-based approaches and programs for child protection and prevention of crime against children,” he added.
