Increasing trend of child rape

Reference

The increasing trend of rape among minor children is becoming a serious social problem. The emergence of such tendencies not only poses a challenge to law and order, but also weakens the moral and cultural fabric of the society.

India rising cases of child rape

• According to an analysis of NCRB data by CRY, an organization working for child rights, cases of rape of children have increased by 96% from 2016 to 2022, including all types of assaults.
• The analysis done by CRY has shown that there has been a steady increase in these rape incidents since 2016 except for 2020. There has been a 6.9% increase in such cases between the years 2021 and 2022.
  • The detailed investigation, covering all types of penetrative assaults falling under the Indian Penal Code and special and local laws, shows an overall increase of 96.8 percent from 2016 to 2022.
• 38,911 cases of child rape and penetrative assault were registered in the year 2022, while 36,381 cases were registered in 2021.

Key factors and impacts

• Lack of education and awareness: In many cases, children do not have proper information about sex education. In the absence of sex education, children fall prey to misinformation and myths.
  • Sex education is not discussed openly in schools and families, due to which children try to get answers to their questions from the internet or wrong company.
• Misuse of social media and technology: The increasing use of social media and smartphones is also making this problem more serious. Access to pornographic content has become easy on online platforms and this can have a negative impact on the mindset of children.
  • In many cases, children develop an unhealthy mindset by watching such content which later turns into incidents like rape.
• Legal approach: India has strict laws on crimes committed by minors, but it has been observed that such crimes are increasing due to lack of legal process and poor implementation.
  • Hesitancy in reporting on the part of the families of victims and criminals, slow pace of judicial process and in some cases apathy of the society also promote this problem.
  • Juvenile offenders are viewed from a reformatory perspective, but efforts to rehabilitate them are often inadequate, leading them to relapse.
    

Legal framework to prevent rape in India

• Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012: It is a gender neutral law. It considers any person below 18 years of age as a child and provides protection to all children from sexual abuse.
  • The Act was amended in 2019 to enhance punishment for various offences to ensure safety, protection and dignity of the child.
• Section 376 (1) of IPC and Section 64 (1) of BNS: Rigorous imprisonment of at least 10 years, which may extend to life imprisonment and fine.

Solutions and prevention

• It is necessary to include comprehensive sex education in the education system. By giving sex education to children at the right age, they can get the right information about the body and avoid misconceptions.
• The government and non-governmental organizations should jointly run such programs, which give information to children and their parents about the dangers of sexual violence and the measures to avoid it.
• It is also necessary to make the legal system more efficient and sensitive. The process of quick and fair decision-making in cases related to children should be strengthened. Also, adequate resources and plans are needed for the rehabilitation of criminals, so that they can come out of the world of crime.
• Emphasis needs to be given to the role played by extensive media coverage of high-profile cases and active participation of communities and civil society organizations in creating a supportive environment.
• The role of family and society is also important. Parents should spend time with their children, understand their problems and give them the right guidance.
• Encouraging open dialogue about child sexual abuse can enable victims to speak up and report abuse without fear of social pressure and stigma.
• Enhancing protective measures to align with national and international legal requirements, strong implementation mechanisms to ensure child protection and building adequate support systems for victims are essential steps.
• There is a need to develop a multi-pronged strategy to effectively combat crimes against children by addressing the underlying socio-cultural and economic factors such as poverty, lack of livelihoods, social norms and systemic vulnerabilities.