Monday, 06 Oct, 2025
Other serious IPC crimes against children included 1,219 cases of murder affecting 1,384 victims, of which 89 were linked to rape or POCSO violations. Image Source: PixaBay
Kidnapping and abduction emerged as the single largest crime category, with 79,884 IPC cases reported, victimising as many as 82,106 children.
According to the Crime in India report 2023, released by the National Crrime Records Bureau (NCRB), in 2023, a total of 1,77,335 cases of crimes against children were registered across the country, marking an increase of nine point two percent compared to 2022, when 1,62,449 such cases were recorded. The data highlights a disturbing trend of rising crimes against children. Within the overall crime category, the two largest segments were kidnapping and abduction of children, which accounted for 79,884 cases or forty-five percent of the total, and offences registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which stood at 67,694 cases, amounting to thirty-eight point two percent of the total. The crime rate per one lakh children population increased to 39.9 in 2023, up from 36.6 in 2022, indicating a broader rise in vulnerability.
The Crime in India Report, published annually by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), serves as the most comprehensive statistical record of crimes reported across the country, with the purpose of providing official nationwide crime data to aid policymakers, researchers, law enforcement agencies, and the judiciary in understanding crime trends and formulating effective responses. The report presents a wide range of information, including overall crime statistics under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL), crimes against specific vulnerable groups such as women, children, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, senior citizens, and foreigners, as well as detailed data on serious offences like murder, sexual crimes, kidnapping, economic offences, cybercrime, and trafficking.
It also provides state-wise and city-wise breakdowns to highlight regional variations, along with insights into police and judicial responses such as charge sheeting, conviction rates, and case pendency. Additionally, the report focuses on special areas like juvenile delinquency, child protection under the POCSO Act, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, and cyber frauds, making it a key reference for tracking emerging crime patterns and shaping criminal justice policies in India.
An analysis of victim demographics reveals that 762 children who suffered were below six years of age, 3,229 were between six and twelve years, 15,444 were between twelve and sixteen years, and 21,411 fell in the sixteen to eighteen years bracket. This brought the total number of child victims to 40,846, with the majority being girls in rape-related cases.
Out of 40,434 registered cases of penetrative sexual assault under Sections 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act, often read with Section 376 of the IPC for rape, offenders were found to be known to the victims in an overwhelming 39,076 cases. These included family members in 3,224 cases, family friends, neighbours, employers, or other acquaintances in 15,146 cases, and friends, online contacts, or live-in partners who lured victims under the pretext of marriage in 20,706 cases. These sexual offences alone affected 40,846 child victims. Other POCSO-related crimes, such as aggravated assaults and harassment under Sections 8 and 10 of the Act read with Section 354 of the IPC, accounted for 22,444 cases.
Source: National Crime Records Bureau
Kidnapping and abduction emerged as the single largest crime category, with 79,884 IPC cases reported, victimising as many as 82,106 children. This translated to a crime rate of 18 per one lakh children. Among these, 58,927 were general abduction cases, including 37,844 instances where children initially reported missing were subsequently classified as kidnapped. Alarmingly, 14,637 cases involved the abduction of minor girls with the intent to compel them into marriage.
Other serious IPC crimes against children included 1,219 cases of murder affecting 1,384 victims, of which 89 were linked to rape or POCSO violations. Additionally, there were 3,050 cases of simple hurt and 373 cases of abetment to suicide. Special and Local Laws (SLL) further contributed to the overall tally, including 6,038 cases under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and 1,390 cases under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act.
At the state level, Madhya Pradesh registered the highest number of cases at 22,393, corresponding to a crime rate of 77.9 per one lakh children. Maharashtra followed closely with 22,390 cases (rate: 62), while Uttar Pradesh recorded 18,852 cases (rate: 22.1). Assam witnessed a sharp rise, registering 10,174 cases, and also reported the highest crime rate in the country at 84.2. Bihar recorded 9,906 cases. Among Union Territories, Delhi and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported alarmingly high rates of crime against children, with 140.3 and 143.4 respectively, even though Delhi’s total stood at 7,769 cases.
The rate of charge sheeting nationally stood at 64.3 percent, though this varied significantly across states. Tamil Nadu (93.7 percent) and Andhra Pradesh (91.3 percent) reported the highest charge sheet rates, reflecting strong investigative responses, while Delhi (31.7 percent) and Haryana (39.6 percent) recorded the lowest, pointing to systemic weaknesses in case progression. Police disposal data showed that out of 2,57,756 cases investigated, 1,12,290 cases were charge-sheeted, while 80,198 remained pending at the end of the year, leading to a pendency rate of 32.2 percent.
