Child crime rates surge in Assam, Rajasthan, and Kerala: NCRB report

Guwahati: Assam, Rajasthan, and Kerala have recorded a staggering 100% rise in crimes against children in 2023, leading the country in a troubling trend, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.

Assam experienced the sharpest jump, with incidents of child abuse nearly doubling. Cases in the state soared by almost 100%, rising from an average of about 5,100 cases annually between 2018 and 2022 to over 10,000 in 2023.

Kerala followed closely behind with a 106% increase, climbing from an average of 2,800 cases in the same period to more than 5,900 cases.

Rajasthan also saw a significant rise, with a 70% increase, from an average of 6,200 cases annually between 2018 and 2022 to more than 10,500 cases in 2023.

In contrast, the national rise in crimes against children across India stood at 25%, indicating that the surges in these three states were far above the national average.

The reasons behind the spikes vary across these states.

In Assam, a targeted crackdown on child marriage contributed heavily to the rise in cases.

The state’s aggressive enforcement of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, led to a dramatic spike in cases filed under the law.

Between 2020 and 2022, authorities filed about 150 child marriage cases annually, but this number surged to 5,267 in 2023.

This surge in child marriage-related cases accounted for nearly 52% of all crimes against children in Assam in 2023, a stark contrast to the 3-4% share in previous years.

Rajasthan’s increase in cases appears to be driven by two factors.

Firstly, authorities reclassified crimes under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, leading to a significant rise in the number of cases categorized differently.

The state shifted from categorizing cases solely under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) provisions, such as rape (Section 376), to invoking specific sections of the POCSO Act, particularly Sections 4 and 6.

In 2021 and 2022, authorities filed over 2,700 cases under the rape provision, but by 2023, they recorded more than 3,500 cases under the POCSO provisions.

While this change in classification contributed to the rise, there was also a genuine increase in offenses, especially in sexual assault cases against children.

The second factor contributing to the spike in Rajasthan was a sharp increase in kidnapping and abduction cases.

These offenses accounted for over 54% of all crimes against children in the state in 2023, marking a significant jump.

Kerala also witnessed a notable rise in POCSO-related cases.

This uptick appears partly due to more accurate reporting and the proper classification of offenses under the relevant POCSO sections, leading to a more detailed and possibly more reliable dataset.

It is important to note that these increases in reported cases could reflect improved reporting and a more accurate categorization of crimes rather than an actual rise in offenses.

As law enforcement agencies across these states adopt more rigorous methods of documenting and classifying crimes, the reported figures may more accurately reflect the scope of child abuse, rather than suggesting an exponential surge in criminal activity.