Bhubaneswar: Odisha has been witnessing a rise in crime against children with 8577 cases being reported in 2023 against 8240 in 2022 and 7899 in 2021, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report.
Kidnapping was the most prevalent crime, with 5,978 cases involving 5,979 children, equating to a rate of 41.5 per lakh children. Of these, 5,905 were general abductions, including 5,871 cases where missing children were classified as kidnapped. Additionally, 60 minor girls were abducted for forced marriage.
One kidnapping was related to ransom.
A total of 2,381 cases were reported under the POCSO Act, affecting 2,391 children. Of these, 1,631 cases involved rape under Sections 4 and 6 (penetrative and aggravated penetrative sexual assault), all targeting girls.
Similarly, 13 boys were subjected to “unnatural sex”.
Additionally, 701 cases of sexual and aggravated sexual assault under Sections 8 and 10 involved 711 girl victims. Thirty girls were exploited for pornographic material, and 69 cases involved publishing sexually explicit content depicting children.
Violations under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act totaled 79, with 45 cases involving caretakers or staff at juvenile homes. Fifty-seven child marriage cases were also reported.
However, no cases were reported under Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act and Child Labour (Prohibition &
Regulation) Act in 2023.