Lok Sabha Question No. 294 (STARRED), answered on 2022-08-05
Subject: Cases of Child Abuse
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Nusrat Jahan Ruhi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *294

TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.08.2022

## CASES OF CHILD ABUSE

- *294. SHRIMATI NUSRAT JAHAN RUHI:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to State:

- (a) Whether the Government has conducted or proposes to conduct studies on the increase  in  child  abuse  cases,  under  the  Protection  of  Children  from  Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act during the COVID-19 pandemic;
- (b) If so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) Whether the trial of 99 per cent of POCSO cases registered in 2020 were still pending, if so, the reasons therefor;
- (d) Whether the Government is taking any measures to ensure better coordination among relevant agencies  and  courts,  training  of  special  prosecutors  to  handle complex POCSO cases etc. for quick and better disposal of cases; and
- (e) If so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) to (e):  A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

****

## Statement  Referred  To  In  Reply  To  Part  (a)  To  (e)  Of  Reply  To  Lok  Sabha  Starred Question No.*294 For 05.08.2022 Regarding 'CASES OF CHILD ABUSE'.

(a) to (b) As per the data regarding the child abuse cases, under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act  received from National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) the total no of  cases  registered  in  all  States/UTs  under  POCSO  Act  in  2019  were  47324,  whereas  in 2020  when  the  Covid  was  at  peak   the  total  no  of  cases  registered  in  all  States/UTs  under POCSO Act were 47221. Therefore, there is no increase in cases under POCSO Act in 2020 as compared to 2019. The data received from NCRB is at Annexure-I

It  is  also  informed that the Government has amended the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in 2019 to introduce more stringent punishment including the death penalty for committing sexual crimes on children, with a view to deter the perpetrators & prevent  such  crimes  against  children.   The  POCSO  Rules,  2020  were  also  notified  by  the Ministry to further protect the children from exploitation/violence and sexual exploitation.

It  is  also  informed  that  in  the  Amendment,  the  new  provision  of  punishment  for committing  penetrative  sexual  assault  during  natural  calamity  and  similar  situation  has  also been included in section-5 and section-9.

(c)  to  (e)   As  per  the  information  received from the  National  Crime  Records Bureau (NCRB), State/UT-wise  Cases  Registered  (CR),  Cases  Charge  sheeted  (CCS),  Cases  Sent  for  Trial (CST), Cases Convicted (CON), Cases Pending Trial at the end of the year (CPTEY), Persons Arrested  (PAR),  Persons  Charge  sheeted  (PCS)  and  Persons  Convicted  (PCV)  under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act during 2018-2020 is at Annexure-II

Further as informed by the Department of Justice(DoJ), DoJ is implementing a Centrally Sponsored  Scheme  (CSS)  funded  under  the  Nirbhaya  fund  for  setting  up  1023  Fast  Track Special Courts (FTSCs) to provide speedy justice to the victims of rape and POCSO Act. The FTSC scheme was started in October 2019. As on 30/6/2022, 728 FTSCs are functional in 28 States/UTs  (West  Bengal,  Andaman  &  Nicobar  Island  and  Arunachal  Pradesh  have  still  not joined  the  Scheme)  which  disposed more than 102300 cases in FTSCs of 28 States/UTs till June,  2022.  Considering  the  paramount  importance  of  safety  and  security  of  women  and children, the Cabinet has approved the continuation of the scheme for 2 more financial years up to  31st  March  2023  with  a  budgetary  outlay  of  Rs.  1572.86  Cr.  Including  RS.  971.70  Cr.  as Central Share.

As  per  information  received  from  the  National  Commission  for  Protection  of  Child  Rights (NCPCR), the NCPCR has taken following initiatives / steps:

1. Regional  Meetings  on  POCSO:  The  Commission  organized  regional  meetings  on 'POCSO: Factors hindering the Implementation and aspects of assistance to victims' in different regions of the country with an objective to build a comprehensive understanding  on  the  implementation  of  the  POCSO  Act,  2012;  discuss  important aspects of assistance to POCSO victims and identify deliverables  for NCPCRs /State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCRs).
2. POCSO  Tracking  Portal:  The  POCSO  tracking  portal  was  launched  by  Hon'ble  Mr. Justice  Uday  Umesh  Lalit,  Judge,  Supreme  Court  of  India  on  17th  July  2022.  The tracking portal has been conceptualized in joint collaboration of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

****

Annexure-I STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN PART (A)-(B) OF REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 294 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.08.2022 ASKED BY SHRIMATI NUSRAT JAHAN RUHI INDICATING STATE/UT-WISE CASES  REGISTERED  (CR)  UNDER  PROTECTION  OF  CHILDREN  FROM  SEXUAL  OFFENCES  ACT  DURING 2019-2020

| S.NO   | STATES                    | 2019   |   2020 |
|--------|---------------------------|--------|--------|
| 1.     | ANDHRA PRADESH            | 502    |    454 |
| 2.     | ARUNACHAL PRADESH         | 36     |     28 |
| 3.     | ASSAM                     | 1779   |   1496 |
| 4.     | BIHAR                     | 1540   |   1591 |
| 5.     | CHHATTISGARH              | 2027   |   2049 |
| 6.     | GOA                       | 0      |      5 |
| 7.     | GUJARAT                   | 2253   |   2345 |
| 8.     | HARYANA                   | 2074   |   1853 |
| 9.     | HIMACHAL PRADESH          | 12     |      5 |
| 10.    | JHARKHAND                 | 654    |    938 |
| 11.    | KARNATAKA                 | 2160   |   2104 |
| 12.    | KERALA                    | 1283   |   2163 |
| 13.    | MADHYA PRADESH            | 6123   |   5648 |
| 14.    | MAHARASHTRA               | 6558   |   5687 |
| 15.    | MANIPUR                   | 58     |     75 |
| 16.    | MEGHALAYA                 | 219    |    328 |
| 17.    | MIZORAM                   | 79     |    105 |
| 18.    | NAGALAND                  | 12     |     18 |
| 19.    | ODISHA                    | 2036   |   2202 |
| 20.    | PUNJAB                    | 389    |    720 |
| 21.    | RAJASTHAN                 | 596    |    244 |
| 22.    | SIKKIM                    | 91     |     98 |
| 23.    | TAMIL NADU                | 2396   |   3090 |
| 24.    | TELANGANA                 | 1998   |   2074 |
| 25.    | TRIPURA                   | 176    |    143 |
| 26.    | UTTAR PRADESH             | 7594   |   6898 |
| 27.    | UTTARAKHAND               | 369    |    573 |
| 28.    | WEST BENGAL               | 2256   |   2657 |
|        | TOTAL STATE(S)            | 45270  |  45591 |
| 29.    | A&N ISLANDS               | 94     |    118 |
| 30.    | CHANDIGARH                | 5      |      0 |
| 31.    | D&N HAVELI AND DAMAN&DIU+ | 54     |     42 |
| 32.    | DELHI                     | 1719   |   1197 |
| 33.    | JAMMU &KASHMIR*           | 109    |    200 |
| 34.    | LADAKH                    | -      |      0 |
| 35.    | LAKSHADWEEP               | 25     |      8 |
| 36.    | PUDUCHERRY                | 48     |     65 |
|        | TOTAL UT(S)               | 2054   |   1630 |
|        | TOTAL (ALL INDIA)         | 47324  |  47221 |

Source: Crime in India

*****

Annexure-II STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN PART (C)-(E) OF REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 294 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.08.2022 ASKED BY SHRIMATI NUSRAT JAHAN RUHI INDICATING STATE/UT-WISE CASES  REGISTERED  (CR),  CASES  CHARGESHEETED  (CCS),  CASES  SENT  FOR  TRIAL  (CST),  CASES CONVICTED (CON), CASES PENDING TRIAL AT THE END OF THE YEAR (CPTEY), PERSONS ARRESTED (PAR),  PERSONS  CHARGESHEETED  (PCS)  AND  PERSONS  CONVICTED  (PCV)  UNDER  PROTECTION  OF CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL OFFENCES ACT DURING 2018-2020

| SL   | State/UT                   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   |
|------|----------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| SL   | State/UT                   | CR     | CCS    | CST    | CON    | CPTEY  | PAR    | PCS    | PCV    |
| 1    | Andhra Pradesh             | 361    | 338    | 338    | 6      | 1343   | 574    | 472    | 9      |
| 2    | Arunachal Pradesh          | 24     | 23     | 23     | 1      | 28     | 26     | 24     | 1      |
| 3    | Assam                      | 1721   | 1486   | 1486   | 69     | 2664   | 2140   | 1562   | 73     |
| 4    | Bihar                      | 2094   | 1273   | 1273   | 104    | 2558   | 2017   | 1801   | 136    |
| 5    | Chhattisgarh               | 1812   | 1657   | 1657   | 310    | 3861   | 2190   | 2014   | 379    |
| 6    | Goa                        | 2      | 2      | 2      | 0      | 2      | 2      | 2      | 0      |
| 7    | Gujarat                    | 2154   | 2066   | 2066   | 33     | 6947   | 2783   | 2766   | 36     |
| 8    | Haryana                    | 1924   | 1597   | 1597   | 296    | 2361   | 2129   | 2108   | 350    |
| 9    | Himachal Pradesh           | 28     | 23     | 23     | 0      | 47     | 45     | 43     | 0      |
| 10   | Jharkhand                  | 615    | 391    | 391    | 38     | 757    | 543    | 452    | 41     |
| 11   | Karnataka                  | 2036   | 2165   | 2165   | 174    | 6150   | 2739   | 2654   | 190    |
| 12   | Kerala                     | 1153   | 964    | 964    | 77     | 3462   | 1386   | 1095   | 84     |
| 13   | Madhya Pradesh             | 2445   | 2692   | 2692   | 488    | 6808   | 3256   | 3302   | 598    |
| 14   | Maharashtra                | 6233   | 5269   | 5269   | 525    | 22070  | 7909   | 6251   | 583    |
| 15   | Manipur                    | 43     | 26     | 26     | 4      | 135    | 42     | 28     | 4      |
| 16   | Meghalaya                  | 266    | 174    | 174    | 16     | 847    | 249    | 197    | 16     |
| 17   | Mizoram                    | 138    | 171    | 171    | 27     | 387    | 184    | 176    | 33     |
| 18   | Nagaland                   | 9      | 13     | 13     | 9      | 51     | 15     | 14     | 9      |
| 19   | Odisha                     | 1887   | 1468   | 1468   | 24     | 3148   | 1680   | 1709   | 24     |
| 20   | Punjab                     | 411    | 354    | 354    | 82     | 566    | 455    | 441    | 105    |
| 21   | Rajasthan                  | 488    | 396    | 396    | 102    | 3032   | 510    | 503    | 119    |
| 22   | Sikkim                     | 118    | 112    | 112    | 25     | 154    | 140    | 136    | 35     |
| 23   | Tamil Nadu                 | 2039   | 2192   | 2192   | 275    | 4531   | 2767   | 2509   | 356    |
| 24   | Telangana                  | 1665   | 1376   | 1376   | 69     | 3284   | 2093   | 1792   | 72     |
| 25   | Tripura                    | 127    | 145    | 145    | 13     | 569    | 161    | 184    | 14     |
| 26   | Uttar Pradesh              | 5401   | 4401   | 4401   | 780    | 17161  | 7266   | 7147   | 1652   |
| 27   | Uttarakhand                | 337    | 213    | 213    | 24     | 586    | 239    | 234    | 28     |
| 28   | West Bengal                | 2267   | 2403   | 2403   | 90     | 6251   | 2430   | 2732   | 103    |
|      | TOTAL STATE(S)             | 37798  | 33390  | 33390  | 3661   | 99760  | 45970  | 42348  | 5050   |
| 29   | A&N Islands                | 69     | 74     | 74     | 0      | 235    | 81     | 83     | 0      |
| 30   | Chandigarh                 | 2      | 2      | 2      | 1      | 2      | 2      | 2      | 1      |
| 31   | D&N Haveli and Daman& Diu+ | 24     | 25     | 25     | 4      | 44     | 28     | 28     | 4      |
| 32   | Delhi                      | 1839   | 1994   | 1994   | 218    | 7870   | 2584   | 2287   | 242    |
| 33   | Jammu& Kashmir*            | 32     | 24     | 24     | 0      | 24     | 35     | 34     | 0      |
| 34   | Ladakh                     | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      |
| 35   | Lakshadweep                | 7      | 7      | 7      | 0      | 17     | 7      | 7      | 0      |
| 36   | Puducherry                 | 56     | 52     | 52     | 0      | 177    | 43     | 52     | 0      |
|      | TOTAL UT(S)                | 2029   | 2178   | 2178   | 223    | 8369   | 2780   | 2493   | 247    |
|      | TOTAL (ALL INDIA)          | 39827  | 35568  | 35568  | 3884   | 108129 | 48750  | 44841  | 5297   |

| SL   | State/UT                   | 2019   | 2019   | 2019   | 2019   | 2019   | 2019   | 2019   | 2019   |
|------|----------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| SL   | State/UT                   | CR     | CCS    | CST    | CON    | CPTEY  | PAR    | PCS    | PCV    |
| 1    | Andhra Pradesh             | 502    | 313    | 313    | 16     | 1542   | 645    | 589    | 20     |
| 2    | Arunachal Pradesh          | 36     | 24     | 24     | 0      | 52     | 40     | 27     | 0      |
| 3    | Assam                      | 1779   | 1396   | 1396   | 83     | 3750   | 1890   | 1548   | 84     |
| 4    | Bihar                      | 1540   | 1184   | 1184   | 113    | 3575   | 1837   | 1532   | 132    |
| 5    | Chhattisgarh               | 2027   | 2073   | 2073   | 349    | 4799   | 2513   | 2453   | 414    |
| 6    | Goa                        | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0      | 2      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 7    | Gujarat                    | 2253   | 2072   | 2072   | 74     | 8604   | 2773   | 2748   | 89     |
| 8    | Haryana                    | 2074   | 1686   | 1686   | 333    | 2962   | 2189   | 2135   | 395    |
| 9    | Himachal Pradesh           | 12     | 8      | 8      | 0      | 54     | 7      | 9      | 0      |
| 10   | Jharkhand                  | 654    | 459    | 459    | 100    | 1024   | 638    | 530    | 104    |
| 11   | Karnataka                  | 2160   | 2021   | 2021   | 190    | 7137   | 2665   | 2633   | 208    |
| 12   | Kerala                     | 1283   | 1009   | 1009   | 40     | 4216   | 1443   | 1097   | 42     |
| 13   | Madhya Pradesh             | 6123   | 5867   | 5867   | 874    | 9677   | 7376   | 7454   | 1086   |
| 14   | Maharashtra                | 6558   | 6295   | 6295   | 706    | 25807  | 8723   | 7510   | 792    |
| 15   | Manipur                    | 58     | 59     | 59     | 5      | 189    | 59     | 74     | 5      |
| 16   | Meghalaya                  | 219    | 255    | 255    | 96     | 987    | 309    | 287    | 96     |
| 17   | Mizoram                    | 79     | 78     | 78     | 59     | 398    | 79     | 79     | 63     |
| 18   | Nagaland                   | 12     | 12     | 12     | 1      | 61     | 14     | 13     | 1      |
| 19   | Odisha                     | 2036   | 1779   | 1779   | 33     | 4798   | 2033   | 2124   | 33     |
| 20   | Punjab                     | 389    | 319    | 319    | 87     | 606    | 484    | 375    | 121    |
| 21   | Rajasthan                  | 596    | 423    | 423    | 178    | 3152   | 548    | 543    | 216    |
| 22   | Sikkim                     | 91     | 88     | 88     | 12     | 212    | 95     | 94     | 12     |
| 23   | Tamil Nadu                 | 2396   | 2228   | 2228   | 286    | 5599   | 3045   | 2553   | 318    |
| 24   | Telangana                  | 1998   | 1724   | 1724   | 89     | 3806   | 2549   | 2139   | 108    |
| 25   | Tripura                    | 176    | 173    | 173    | 34     | 649    | 193    | 183    | 40     |
| 26   | Uttar Pradesh              | 7594   | 6478   | 6478   | 1002   | 23187  | 9650   | 9377   | 1674   |
| 27   | Uttarakhand                | 369    | 384    | 384    | 92     | 868    | 452    | 451    | 111    |
| 28   | West Bengal                | 2256   | 2531   | 2531   | 81     | 8367   | 2530   | 3292   | 98     |
|      | TOTAL STATE(S)             | 45270  | 40938  | 40938  | 4933   | 126080 | 54779  | 51849  | 6262   |
| 29   | A&N Islands                | 94     | 87     | 87     | 3      | 291    | 99     | 95     | 3      |
| 30   | Chandigarh                 | 5      | 6      | 6      | 0      | 8      | 5      | 6      | 0      |
| 31   | D&N Haveli and Daman& Diu+ | 54     | 54     | 54     | 0      | 68     | 62     | 56     | 0      |
| 32   | Delhi                      | 1719   | 1589   | 1589   | 718    | 8406   | 2269   | 1924   | 720    |
| 33   | Jammu& Kashmir*            | 109    | 79     | 79     | 0      | 96     | 101    | 98     | 0      |
| 34   | Ladakh                     | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      |
| 35   | Lakshadweep                | 25     | 11     | 11     | 0      | 26     | 27     | 13     | 0      |
| 36   | Puducherry                 | 48     | 45     | 45     | 4      | 209    | 74     | 74     | 4      |
|      | TOTAL UT(S)                | 2054   | 1871   | 1871   | 725    | 9104   | 2637   | 2266   | 727    |
|      | TOTAL (ALL INDIA)          | 47324  | 42809  | 42809  | 5658   | 135184 | 57416  | 54115  | 6989   |

| SL         | State/UT                  | 2020   | 2020   | 2020   | 2020   | 2020   | 2020   | 2020   | 2020   |
|------------|---------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| SL         | State/UT                  | CR     | CCS    | CST    | CON    | CPTEY  | PAR    | PCS    | PCV    |
| 1          | Andhra Pradesh            | 454    | 521    | 521    | 18     | 1863   | 536    | 793    | 19     |
| 2          | Arunachal Pradesh         | 28     | 18     | 18     | 0      | 70     | 34     | 26     | 0      |
| 3          | Assam                     | 1496   | 1340   | 1340   | 43     | 4720   | 2327   | 1610   | 43     |
| 4          | Bihar                     | 1591   | 1350   | 1350   | 41     | 4853   | 1700   | 1533   | 46     |
| 5          | Chhattisgarh              | 2049   | 2038   | 2038   | 218    | 6231   | 2459   | 2417   | 245    |
| 6          | Goa                       | 5      | 5      | 5      | 0      | 7      | 5      | 5      | 0      |
| 7          | Gujarat                   | 2345   | 2272   | 2272   | 23     | 10731  | 2985   | 2959   | 27     |
| 8          | Haryana                   | 1853   | 1506   | 1506   | 56     | 4255   | 1928   | 1900   | 67     |
| 9          | Himachal Pradesh          | 5      | 9      | 9      | 0      | 62     | 11     | 14     | 0      |
| 10         | Jharkhand                 | 938    | 582    | 582    | 137    | 1398   | 723    | 673    | 152    |
| 11         | Karnataka                 | 2104   | 2016   | 2016   | 61     | 8568   | 2527   | 2507   | 69     |
| 12         | Kerala                    | 2163   | 1522   | 1522   | 41     | 5564   | 2303   | 1720   | 41     |
| 13         | Madhya Pradesh            | 5648   | 5558   | 5558   | 482    | 13805  | 6989   | 6964   | 568    |
| 14         | Maharashtra               | 5687   | 5750   | 5750   | 308    | 30530  | 7596   | 6956   | 354    |
| 15         | Manipur                   | 75     | 53     | 53     | 1      | 241    | 72     | 55     | 1      |
| 16         | Meghalaya                 | 328    | 259    | 259    | 48     | 1158   | 347    | 304    | 55     |
| 17         | Mizoram                   | 105    | 100    | 100    | 44     | 436    | 108    | 104    | 44     |
| 18         | Nagaland                  | 18     | 15     | 15     | 6      | 69     | 23     | 17     | 6      |
| 19         | Odisha                    | 2202   | 2086   | 2086   | 35     | 6661   | 2379   | 2541   | 37     |
| 20         | Punjab                    | 720    | 684    | 684    | 51     | 1154   | 828    | 829    | 70     |
| 21         | Rajasthan                 | 244    | 161    | 161    | 302    | 2942   | 211    | 209    | 371    |
| 22         | Sikkim                    | 98     | 86     | 86     | 11     | 274    | 102    | 91     | 11     |
| 23         | Tamil Nadu                | 3090   | 2472   | 2472   | 176    | 7293   | 3795   | 2840   | 260    |
| 24         | Telangana                 | 2074   | 2053   | 2053   | 102    | 5267   | 2789   | 2471   | 120    |
| 25         | Tripura                   | 143    | 143    | 143    | 11     | 759    | 181    | 193    | 11     |
| 26         | Uttar Pradesh             | 6898   | 6817   | 6817   | 1276   | 28199  | 10248  | 9882   | 1708   |
| 27         | Uttarakhand               | 573    | 616    | 616    | 35     | 1434   | 675    | 674    | 39     |
| 28         | West Bengal               | 2657   | 2621   | 2621   | 29     | 10784  | 2568   | 3003   | 30     |
|            | TOTAL STATE(S)            | 45591  | 42653  | 42653  | 3555   | 159328 | 56449  | 53290  | 4394   |
| 29         | A&N Islands               | 118    | 124    | 124    | 11     | 384    | 116    | 137    | 11     |
| 30         | Chandigarh                | 0      | 1      | 1      | 0      | 8      | 0      | 2      | 0      |
| 31         | D&N Haveli and Daman& Diu | 42     | 43     | 43     | 2      | 89     | 56     | 51     | 2      |
| 32         | Delhi                     | 1197   | 1667   | 1667   | 72     | 9981   | 1994   | 1927   | 87     |
| 33         | Jammu& Kashmir            | 200    | 153    | 153    | 2      | 242    | 235    | 230    | 4      |
| 34         | Ladakh                    | 0      | 0      | 0      | 0      | 1      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 35         | Lakshadweep               | 8      | 6      | 6      | 2      | 29     | 11     | 6      | 2      |
| 36         | Puducherry                | 65     | 62     | 62     | 42     | 209    | 141    | 120    | 42     |
|            | TOTAL UT(S)               | 1630   | 2056   | 2056   | 131    | 10943  | 2553   | 2473   | 148    |
| TOTAL (ALL | INDIA)                    | 47221  | 44709  | 44709  | 3686   | 170271 | 59002  | 55763  | 4542   |