Crimes against children rise by 11% in a yr: NCRB

Crimes against children increased by a sharp 11% between 2015 and 2016, according to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Going by absolute numbers, it’s an increase of 12,786 reported crimes against children across the country.

The total number of crimes against children reported in 2016 was 1,06,958, while 94,172 crimes were recorded in 2015.

This, however, does not come as a surprise, as a cumulative analysis done by an NGO, ‘ Child Rights and You’, shows a steady upward trend with a significant increase of more than 500% over one decade (1,06,958 in 2016 over 18,967 in 2006).

Further retrospective comparison within the mentioned timeframe points at a sharper rate of increase in the latter quadrennium (2012 to 2016) than that recorded in the former lustrum (2006 to 2011).

Quoting these NCRB data, Komal Ganotra, Director Policy and Advocacy at CRY told PTI, “While this steep rise in numbers

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might have been the result of increased awareness among the people at large and the law enforcing agencies in recording crimes, it also indicates that children have become increasingly exposed to the risk of becoming victims in recent years.”

Looking at the concentration of reported incidents across the states, more than 50% of crimes against children have been recorded in just five states — Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and West Bengal.

While Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 15% of recorded crimes

against children, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh closely follow with 14% and 13% respectively.

Going by the nature of crimes and categories as registered with the police, kidnapping and abduction clearly tops the lists with almost half of the total crimes (48.9%, number of crimes 52,253) as recorded in 2016.

The next biggest category of crime against children in terms of number is rape, amounting to more than 18 per cent of all crimes against children, while all crimes under POCSO Act constitutes around 33% of the total crimes.