Lok Sabha Question No. 3088 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-13
Subject: Atrocities on Women and Children
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Prof. Sougata Ray

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3088

TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.12.2024

## ATROCITIES ON WOMEN AND CHILDREN

## 3088.  PROF. SOUGATA RAY:

Will the Minister of Women and Chid Development be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken note of a sharp hike in reported cases of atrocities on women and children recently;
- (b) if so, the details of such cases reported during the last three years, State wise;
- (c) whether some States failed to check attacks on women and children;
- (d) if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether  the  National  Commission  for  women  monitors  the  actions  in  this regard; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

(a) to (f):   'Police' and 'Public Order' are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India and the responsibility to maintain law and order, protection of  life  and  property  of  the  citizens  including  investigation  and  prosecution  of  crime against women and rests primarily with the respective State Governments and they are competent to deal with such crimes.

As per the latest available information published by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB),  up  to  the  year  2022  on  its  website  https://ncrb.gov.in/en/crime-india,  the cumulative figures of crimes against women and children from 2020 to 2022 were 1245037 and 440384 respectively.  State/UTs-  wise  details  of  cases  registered  for crime  against  women  and  children  during  the  years  2020,  2021  and  2022  are  at Annexure- I and Annexure-II respectively.  However,  increased  reporting  of  crime against women and children may be attributable to the increased level of awareness among citizens due to various measures taken by the government in the last few years including  the  operationalization  of  helplines  such  as  Women  Helpline-181  and Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112), Zero-FIR, e-FIR and institutional support to the survivors.

The Constitution of India guarantees the right to equality and also provides for positive interventions by the State to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and to  ensure  their  holistic  empowerment.  Keeping  in  mind  the  vision  articulated  in Constitutional provisions, the Central Government gives highest priority to ensuring safety and security of women and has undertaken various legislative and schematic interventions  in  this  regard.  These  include  legislations  such  as   'The  Sexual Harassment  of  Women  at  Workplace  (Prevention,  Prohibition  and  Redressal)  Act, 2013',  'The  Protection  of  Women  from  Domestic  Violence  Act,  2005',  'The  Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961', and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, New Criminal laws, 2023, etc.

The Central  Government  implements  various  schemes  and  projects  which  include One Stop Centres (OSCs); Universalisation of Women Helplines (WHL), Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) which is a pan-India single number (112) mobile app based system for emergencies; She-Box provides a single window access for women facing sexual harassment at workplace; a cyber-crime reporting portal to report obscene content;  Safe  City  Projects  in  8  cities  (Ahmedabad,  Bengaluru,  Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai) including infrastructure, technology adoption and capacity building in community through awareness programmes, training and skill development programs for Investigation Officers, Prosecution Officers and Medical Officers; distribution of Sexual Assault Evidence Collection (SAEC) Kits to States/  UTs;  establishment  of  State  of  Art  DNA  Laboratory  at  CFSL,  Chandigarh; assistance to 30 States/ UTs to strengthen Forensic Science Laboratories; Setting up/ strengthening of Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) in all districts of the country; setting up/ strengthening of Women Help Desks (WHDs) at Police Stations, Fast Track Special Courts including exclusive POCSO courts for speedy trial of cases of rape and cases under POSCO Act, etc. The Government has also put in place an Investigation Tracking  System  for  Sexual  Offences,  an  online  analytic  tool  for  tracking  and monitoring of investigation. A National Database of Sexual Offenders (NDSO) has also been created.

National Commission for Women (NCW), in addition to handling complaints through regular  mode,  assists  women  in  distress  through  a  dedicated  24x7  Helpline  7827170170. NCW also takes suo-moto cognizance of the grievances relating to crime against  women  reported  through  social/  print/  electronic  media.  The  complaints received  by  NCW  are  acted  upon  by  coordinating  with  victims,  police  and  other authorities to provide immediate assistance

The Government accords highest priority for ensuring safety and security of children and has undertaken various interventions in this regard. To safeguard children against sexual abuse and sexual harassment, Government has enacted Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The act defines a child as any person below the age of 18 years.

POCSO Act under section-12 provides punishment for committing sexual harassment which shall be with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine. The Act was further amended in 2019 to introduce more stringent punishment including death penalty for committing sexual crimes on children, with a view to deter the perpetrators & prevent such crimes against children.

Ministry  of  Women and Child Development (MWCD) from the financial year 20232024, has also introduced a centrally funded scheme namely 'Scheme for Care and Support to Victims under Section 4 & 6 of the Protection of  Children  from  Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, 2012' from NIRBHAYA Fund to address the challenges faced by  the  minor  pregnant  girl child  victims  for  implementation  by  the  State/UT Governments.

Further, Department of Justice is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for setting up Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) including exclusive POCSO Courts (ePOCSO) for disposal of pending cases of rape and POCSO Act since October 2019. As per the information received from the High Courts, as on 30.09.2024, 750 FTSCs including 408 exclusive POCSO Courts are functional in 30 States/UTs, which have disposed  of  more  than  287000  cases  including  more  than  180000  cases  under POCSO Act.

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ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  PARTS  (a)  TO  (f)  OF  LOK  SABHA  ADMITTED UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  3088  FOR  13.12.2024  REGARDING  'ATROCITIES  OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN' ASKED BY PROF. SOUGATA RAY. STATE/UT WISE DETAILS OF CASES REGISTERED FOR CRIME AGAINST WOMEN

## DURING THE YEARS 2020, 2021 AND 2022 (SOURCE: NCRB)

| SL                 | State/UT                   | 2020   | 2021   | 2022   |
|--------------------|----------------------------|--------|--------|--------|
| 1                  | Andhra Pradesh             | 17089  | 17752  | 25503  |
| 2                  | Arunachal Pradesh          | 281    | 366    | 335    |
| 3                  | Assam                      | 26352  | 29046  | 14148  |
| 4                  | Bihar                      | 15359  | 17950  | 20222  |
| 5                  | Chhattisgarh               | 7385   | 7344   | 8693   |
| 6                  | Goa                        | 219    | 224    | 273    |
| 7                  | Gujarat                    | 8028   | 7348   | 7731   |
| 8                  | Haryana                    | 13000  | 16658  | 16743  |
| 9                  | Himachal Pradesh           | 1614   | 1599   | 1551   |
| 10                 | Jharkhand                  | 7630   | 8110   | 7678   |
| 11                 | Karnataka                  | 12680  | 14468  | 17813  |
| 12                 | Kerala                     | 10139  | 13539  | 15213  |
| 13                 | Madhya Pradesh             | 25640  | 30673  | 32765  |
| 14                 | Maharashtra                | 31954  | 39526  | 45331  |
| 15                 | Manipur                    | 247    | 302    | 248    |
| 16                 | Meghalaya                  | 568    | 685    | 690    |
| 17                 | Mizoram                    | 172    | 176    | 147    |
| 18                 | Nagaland                   | 39     | 54     | 49     |
| 19                 | Odisha                     | 25489  | 31352  | 23648  |
| 20                 | Punjab                     | 4838   | 5662   | 5572   |
| 21                 | Rajasthan                  | 34535  | 40738  | 45058  |
| 22                 | Sikkim                     | 140    | 130    | 179    |
| 23                 | Tamil Nadu                 | 6630   | 8501   | 9207   |
| 24                 | Telangana                  | 17791  | 20865  | 22066  |
| 25                 | Tripura                    | 874    | 807    | 752    |
| 26                 | Uttar Pradesh              | 49385  | 56083  | 65743  |
| 27                 | Uttarakhand                | 2846   | 3431   | 4337   |
| 28                 | West Bengal                | 36439  | 35884  | 34738  |
|                    | TOTAL STATE(S)             | 357363 | 409273 | 426433 |
| UNION TERRITORIES: | UNION TERRITORIES:         |        |        |        |
| 29                 | A&N Islands                | 143    | 169    | 178    |
| 30                 | Chandigarh                 | 301    | 343    | 325    |
| 31                 | D&N Haveli and Daman & Diu | 61     | 99     | 126    |
| 32                 | Delhi                      | 10093  | 14277  | 14247  |
| 33                 | Jammu & Kashmir            | 3405   | 3937   | 3716   |
| 34                 | Ladakh                     | 9      | 18     | 15     |
| 35                 | Lakshadweep                | 15     | 9      | 16     |
| 36                 | Puducherry                 | 113    | 153    | 200    |
|                    | TOTAL UT(S)                | 14140  | 19005  | 18823  |
|                    | TOTAL ALL INDIA            | 371503 | 428278 | 445256 |

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  PARTS  (a)  TO  (f)  OF  LOK  SABHA  ADMITTED  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3088 FOR 13.12.2024 REGARDING 'ATROCITIES OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN' ASKED BY PROF. SOUGATA RAY.

STATE/UT WISE DETAILS OF CASES REGISTERED FOR CRIME AGAINST CHILDREN DURING THE YEARS 2020, 2021 AND 2022 (SOURCE: NCRB)

| SL   | State/UT                   | 2020   | 2021   | 2022   |
|------|----------------------------|--------|--------|--------|
| 1    | Andhra Pradesh             | 2648   | 2669   | 3308   |
| 2    | Arunachal Pradesh          | 113    | 162    | 143    |
| 3    | Assam                      | 4622   | 5282   | 4084   |
| 4    | Bihar                      | 6591   | 6894   | 8122   |
| 5    | Chhattisgarh               | 5056   | 6001   | 6177   |
| 6    | Goa                        | 125    | 151    | 184    |
| 7    | Gujarat                    | 4075   | 4515   | 4964   |
| 8    | Haryana                    | 4338   | 5700   | 6138   |
| 9    | Himachal Pradesh           | 636    | 740    | 740    |
| 10   | Jharkhand                  | 1795   | 1867   | 1917   |
| 11   | Karnataka                  | 5471   | 7261   | 7988   |
| 12   | Kerala                     | 3941   | 4536   | 5640   |
| 13   | Madhya Pradesh             | 17008  | 19173  | 20415  |
| 14   | Maharashtra                | 14371  | 17261  | 20762  |
| 15   | Manipur                    | 125    | 143    | 120    |
| 16   | Meghalaya                  | 415    | 481    | 496    |
| 17   | Mizoram                    | 142    | 122    | 135    |
| 18   | Nagaland                   | 31     | 51     | 35     |
| 19   | Odisha                     | 6330   | 7899   | 8240   |
| 20   | Punjab                     | 2121   | 2556   | 2494   |
| 21   | Rajasthan                  | 6580   | 7653   | 9370   |
| 22   | Sikkim                     | 147    | 149    | 159    |
| 23   | Tamil Nadu                 | 4338   | 6064   | 6580   |
| 24   | Telangana                  | 4200   | 5667   | 5657   |
| 25   | Tripura                    | 260    | 236    | 220    |
| 26   | Uttar Pradesh              | 15271  | 16838  | 18682  |
| 27   | Uttarakhand                | 1066   | 1245   | 1706   |
| 28   | West Bengal                | 10248  | 9523   | 8950   |
|      | TOTAL STATE(S)             | 122064 | 140839 | 153426 |
|      | UNION TERRITORIES:         |        |        |        |
| 29   | A&N Islands                | 141    | 124    | 146    |
| 30   | Chandigarh                 | 209    | 234    | 224    |
| 31   | D&N Haveli and Daman & Diu | 67     | 104    | 107    |
| 32   | Delhi                      | 5362   | 7118   | 7468   |
| 33   | Jammu & Kashmir            | 606    | 845    | 920    |
| 34   | Ladakh                     | 2      | 1      | 8      |
| 35   | Lakshadweep                | 9      | 17     | 11     |
| 36   | Puducherry                 | 71     | 122    | 139    |
|      | TOTAL UT(S)                | 6467   | 8565   | 9023   |
|      | TOTAL ALL INDIA            | 128531 | 149404 | 162449 |

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