Maharashtra tops in kidnapping & abduction of children: NCRB data reveals

State second highest in crimes under POCSO Act as well, - CRY calls for more stringent mechanism to analysis

Mumbai, September 2, 2022:  Maharashtra continues to be among the top five states in terms of registering maximum numbers of crime committed against children. In an analysis of the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2021 data, conducted by Child Rights and You – CRY, while the state comes second, after Madhya Pradesh, in terms of total number of crimes against children, it leads in cases of Kidnapping and Abduction of Children, and stands second in recording maximum number of POCSO crimes as well.

According to the trends over the past five years, Maharashtra has been witnessing a steady rise in number of crimes against children; Kidnapping and Abduction (Sec. 363, 363A, 364, 364A, 365, 366, 366A, 367, 368 & 369 of IPC) and cases under POCSO Act continue to be a regular feature in the list.

The analysis done by CRY has observed the following trends:

Table 1.

Kidnapping and Abduction of Children

		Number of Crimes	Rate of Crime
		2021	2021
1	Maharashtra	9,555	26.5
2	MP	9,137	31.8
3	UP	6,814	8
4	West Bengal	6,394	21.3
5	Odisha	5,185	36
	India	67,245

There were 9,555 Kidnapping and Abduction of Children (Sec. 363, 363A, 364, 364A, 365, 366, 366A, 367, 368 & 369 IPC) out of 17,261 cases of crime against children in 2021 (26.5 per cent) and 7,392 of 14,371 such cases in 2020 (20.5 per cent) i.e. 6 % increase from last year (2020) in Maharashtra. Maharashtra has reported highest number of Kidnapping and Abduction of Children (Sec. 363, 363A, 364, 364A, 365, 366, 366A, 367, 368 & 369 IPC) among states in India and which constitute 14.2% of reported cases in India

Table 2. Crimes under POCSO  r/w Sec.376,354, 509 IPC

		Number of Crimes	Rate of Crime
		2021	2021
1	Uttar Pradesh	7,192	8.4
2	Maharashtra	6,200	17.2
3	MP	6,070	21.1
4	Tamil Nadu	4,465	21.6
5	Karnataka	2,813	14.5
	India	53,874

There were 6,200 cases under POCSO Act, out of 17,261 cases of total crimes against children reported in 2021 (21.1 per cent) and 5,687 of 14,371 such cases in 2020 (15.7 per cent) i.e. 5.4 per cent increase from last year (2020) in Maharashtra. Second highest number of cases were reported in Maharashtra under POCSO among states in India and which constitutes 11.5% of reported cases in India.

Crimes against girls at the forefront

A close look at the overall national scenario as per 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 are registered under the POCSO Act (53,874 out of 1,49,404 – i.e. 36.1 per cent of total crimes against children). 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. 

POCSO ACT VICTIMS AGE PROFILE 2021
	Below 6	6-12 years	12-16 years	16-18 years	Total
Total child Victims	675	3297	13256	16275	33503
Girls	650	3157	13173	16206	33186
Boys	25	140	83	69	317
% of girl victims	96.30	95.75	99.37	99.58	99.05

Commenting on the trends, Kreeanne Rabadi, Regional Director, CRY – West said that “While the steady rise in numbers of reported cases may be attributed to a higher level of public awareness and proactive role played by the police leading to higher reporting, the more worrying fact remains is that the state is gradually becoming a hub of crimes, especially sexual offences, against children.  

“The current NCRB data has also proved beyond doubt that the COVID pandemic has left children far more exposed in issues related to child protection,” she said.

She further added that despite the state government taking measures, our children are still struggling to get access to a safe environment. “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,” Kreeanne highlighted.