In South India, TS tops in sexual assault cases against children

Hyderabad: According to the Nation Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) 2017 report, Telangana stands fifth among the 29 states when it comes to Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) cases. According to the report, the rate of sexual offences against children in Telangana is 14.6 per cent. While Mizoram, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Delhi top the list. The rate of POCSO crimes in the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh is 2.4 per cent in India.

Among the south Indian states, Telangana has the highest rate of sexual assault cases against children. In the south, Telangana is followed by Kerala (13%) and Tamil Nadu (10%).

In October 2019 alone a Hyderabad local court has pronounced conviction in three POCSO cases.

On 16th October, in a first, a local court in Hyderabad sentenced a POCSO accused to 20 years of vigorous imprisonment following the 2018 amendment. The 55-year-old accused sexually assaulting a minor girl who was four at the time of the incident.

Earlier this month, a father was jailed for life for raping minor daughter for five years in Hyderabad. The man used to rape his daughter since she was nine years old.

In a similar incident, a local court in Hyderabad that hears POCSO cases sentenced a 20-year-old man to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for sexually abusing a minor boy.

Responding to the report K Pratap Reddy, Addl Public Prosecutor, Addl Metro Sessions Court, Hyderabad told NewsMeter, “In 2019, across India around 540 special courts have been established to deal with POCSO cases. Telangana alone has got 9 such courts. In Hyderabad we have only 385 cases left to be resolved. When the conviction rate comes up, the crime rate will slowly go down.”

Crime rate in rise since 2015

The report also says that criminal cases against children in Telangana state have increased since 2015. According to the report, the state stands 13th among other states when it comes to crime against children. In the year 2017 alone, Telangana state reported 3,580 cases of crime against children. Out of this, 45 per cent cases are pending investigation.

Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh top the list with 14.1 per cent state share followed by Maharashtra (15.1 per cent).

Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand are the only states with below 10% crime against children as per the 2017 report.

Telangana tops in immoral trafficking

As per the data provided by the report, when it comes to cases of immoral trafficking, Telangana state stands first alongside West Bengal. However, though the two states are notorious for human trafficking, the number of crimes reported in the list is only five.