India recorded a total number of 1,49,404 instances of crimes against children in 2021 – a rise of over 16 percent from the previous year, indicated date revealed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on Monday, 29 August.
Further, the report noted that the crime rate registered per lakh children population was 33.6 in 2021, compared to 28.9 in 2020.
Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of crime against kids for a second time, at 19,173, followed by Maharashtra which saw 17,261 such cases.
Among the Union Territories, Delhi recorded the highest number of crimes against children, seeing 7,118 such instances.
In terms of percentage, the top categories under crime against children were kidnapping and abduction, followed by cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
67,245 incidents of kidnapping and abduction were reported in the country in 2021.
Other states that saw high numbers of crime against children include:
Uttar Pradesh: 16,838
West Bengal: 9,523
Odisha: 7,899
Rajasthan: 7,653
Karnataka: 7,261
Crimes Against Children Under POCSO
Further, the NCRB report revealed that of the total cases, 53,874 were registered under POCSO sections.
Sexual offences against children showed a steady ascent, with 47,221 such cases being recorded in 2020, and 47,335 cases in 2019.
The largest number of cases registered under POCSO in 2021 state-wise are as follows:
Uttar Pradesh - 7,129
Maharashtra - 6,200
Madhya Pradesh - 6,070
Tamil Nadu - 4,465
Karnataka - 2,813
Among cities, Delhi saw the highest (1,454) instances recorded under the act.
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