Every hour, 17 crimes against children were reported in India in 2021, with a total of 1, 49,404 cases registered during the year, a quick analysis of the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report by NGO Child Rights and You (CRY) shows. This means that every day, as many as 409 crimes against children were committed in the country.
The number of crimes against children saw a worrying 16.2 per cent increase compared to the previous year (2020) when, according to the NCRB report, 1,28,531 cases had been recorded.
The decadal rise is more alarming, with a whopping 351 per cent increase in crimes against children between 2011 (33,098 cases) and 2021 (1, 49,404 cases), the CRY analysis shows.
The population of India was 121 crores in 2011, whereas the projected mid-year population of 2021 was 136.7 crores (as considered by NCRB).
Sexual offences steadily on rise
Further analysis of the NCRB 2021 data suggests that sexual offences against children, especially girls, are steadily on the rise, as one out of every three crimes against children (53,874 cases or 36.1 per cent) are registered under the POCSO Act. More importantly, sexual crimes against children shows very strong gender tilt as adolescent girls within 12 to 16 years are reported to be the victims in more than 99 per cent of the cases registered under the POCSO Act.
State-wise distribution of crimes against children suggests that Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha account for close to half of the crimes committed against children (47.4 per cent) in India, CRY said.
Among these, Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number of cases at 19,173 (12.8 per cent)
‘Covid-19 left kids exposed and vulnerable’
Commenting on the trends, Puja Marwaha, the CEO of the CRY, said: “While it’s heartening to see that there is increased public awareness which possibly translates into higher reporting of cases, it should also be kept in mind that in our country many cases often go unrecorded, especially in the remote areas, hence the actual scale of crimes committed against children may be higher than the numbers apparently reflect. And it proves beyond doubt that despite many government measures taken, our children are nowhere close to a safe and protected childhood.”
“The fear was that in all likelihood the Covid pandemic may have left children far more exposed and vulnerable when it came to issues related to child protection and may have increased risks for children manifold at multiple levels; and the current NCRB data has proved it right,” Marwaha added.
Commenting on the way forward, Marwaha suggested, “It’s time, more than ever, that urgent measures are needed to strengthen India’s child protection systems and ensure that efforts during humanitarian crises are swift, well-planned and responsive to children’s and families’ priorities. Such a system would enable following of due processes within stipulated timelines and adequately utilise the strengths of a dedicated cadre of child protection officials. But to ensure all these, it needs to have more resources – at both systemic and financial levels, and is not attainable without adequate budget allocations for child protection and safety.”
She further said that the CRY believes that the Village Level Child Protection Committees can play a critical role as the first ports of call to link with the formal system, and can go a long way in maintaining vigilance, and identifying vulnerable children and families at the community levels. Also, Legal Services Clinics of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) at the village levels and the Legal Literacy Club of NALSA at the high school levels should be fully functional to ensure access to justice for children.