While the nation celebrates International Day of the Girl Child on October 11, it’s important to address the rise in crimes against them. A recent National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report explains just how dire the situation is when it comes to crimes against children in the nation, and especially against the girl child. The situation, NCRB data reveals, is particularly grim in the eastern states of the nation.
The report notes that Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal are the top five states that together account for 47.1 per cent of all the crimes against children reported in the country between 2017 and 2021. Even as most cases of such crimes go unrecorded, especially in remote areas, the trend seen in the eastern states is worrying indeed.
There were 9,523 cases of crimes against children in West Bengal alone in 2021. Around 98.6 per cent of the victims were girls. In Odisha, recorded cases numbered 7,899 in 2021—and all the victims were girls. This estimate reveals that there were around 26 incidents of crimes against children in West Bengal every day, while the daily tally in Odisha comes to 21. Data emerging from Bihar and Assam are equally worrisome. Around 3,964 cases were reported in Bihar in 2021, while the number in Assam was 2,759.
Another report by Child Rights and You (CRY) also noted that in the eastern states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal, most of the victims of child sexual abuse—a whopping 99 per cent—were girls. This data clearly shows that while the rate of crimes against girls and women in states like Uttar Pradesh often get highlighted, the rise in the eastern states shows a trend that needs to be addressed immediately.
*Image used for representative purpose only.