Why in the news

Latest data show a sharp rise in crimes against children in Assam, Rajasthan and Kerala in 2023 (compared with the 2018–2022 average), even as India overall saw a smaller increase. Understanding the drivers behind each state’s spike matters for good policy, not panic.

What the data broadly show 

• Assam: Total cases nearly doubled. The single biggest driver was an enforcement drive against child marriage. Cases registered under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 jumped dramatically and formed over half of all crimes recorded against children in 2023.
  
• Rajasthan: Total cases rose by about two-thirds. Two clear pushes:
  
  • A steep rise in kidnapping and abduction of children (its share in total crimes kept climbing).
    
  • A shift to registering sexual offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act rather than under general Indian Penal Code provisions; this reclassification made the child-specific law more visible in the numbers.
    
• Kerala: Total cases doubled. The rise is concentrated in cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, which by 2023 formed well over two-thirds of all crimes against children—pointing to active reporting and enforcement under the child-specific law.
  

Read the numbers with care

• A rise may reflect better reporting and correct classification, not just more crime.
  
• Special drives (for example, child-marriage crackdowns) can pull hidden cases into the net in a single year.
  
• When child-specific laws are used instead of general provisions, the composition of crimes changes even if total harm is similar—so trend reading needs context.
  

Why these spikes matter

• Protection gaps: Kidnapping trends in Rajasthan and high sexual-offence shares in Kerala point to safety risks in both physical and digital spaces.
  
• System stress: Sudden surges overload police, child welfare committees, and special courts, risking delays.
  
• Policy opportunity: Focused investment can turn better reporting into better justice—timely investigation, survivor support, and deterrence.
  

What states should do now 

• Assam — consolidate the child-marriage drive:
  
  • Sustain community outreach (schools, Anganwadi centres, religious leaders).
    
  • Pair enforcement with support: transitional education for rescued girls, family counselling, and social protection for households.
    
  • Track outcomes beyond case counts: school retention, age-at-marriage, repeat incidence.
    
• Rajasthan — curb kidnapping and strengthen sexual-offence handling:
  
  • Map hot-spots (bus stands, coaching hubs, industrial belts) and run safe-transport and missing-child protocols.
    
  • Fast-track investigation and trial in child cases; strengthen forensic capacity and witness support.
    
• Kerala — deepen survivor-centric systems:
  
  • Expand child-friendly police rooms and special courts; standardise psychosocial care from reporting to trial.
    
  • Scale digital-safety education in schools and parent groups; sharpen cyber-surveillance for grooming and abuse imagery.
    
• Common essentials for all:
  
  • One-stop centres with medical care, counselling and legal aid.
    
  • Time-bound investigation and trial monitoring dashboards (without names).
    
  • School-based safety audits, complaint boxes, and helpline visibility (Childline 1098).
    
  • Community vigilance committees under village councils; regular social-media campaigns on consent, reporting, and support.
    
  • Data discipline: publish age-breakups, location patterns, and case-stage timelines to guide action, not blame.
    

Key Terms 

• Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO): The child-specific law for sexual offences, with child-friendly procedures and special courts.
  
• Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006: Law that forbids child marriage and penalises those who arrange or fail to prevent it.
  
• Indian Penal Code (child-related sections): General criminal law used for offences like kidnapping and abduction.
  
• National Crime Records Bureau data: Official annual crime statistics used to track trends; increases may reflect better reporting as well as more incidents.
  

Exam Hook

Key takeaways

1. Assam’s surge is largely from child-marriage enforcement; Kerala’s rise is sexual-offence registration under the child-specific law; Rajasthan shows both more kidnapping and greater use of the child-specific law.
   
2. Better reporting and correct classification can lift numbers; policy should look beyond totals to drivers.
   
3. Priority fixes: survivor-centric systems, time-bound trials, school and digital safety, and community prevention backed by transparent data.

UPSC Mains (150 words)
“Crime against children rose sharply in Assam, Rajasthan and Kerala in 2023. Analyse the differing drivers behind these spikes and outline a state-wise strategy that converts improved reporting into faster justice and stronger prevention.”

UPSC Prelims (MCQ)
Q. Which pairing is most accurate about 2023 trends?
(A) Assam — rise driven mainly by kidnapping; Kerala — fall in sexual-offence share
(B) Rajasthan — higher use of the child-specific sexual-offence law and rising kidnapping share
(C) Kerala — decline in use of the child-specific sexual-offence law; Assam — fall in child-marriage cases
(D) All three states — rise due only to population growth
Answer: B

One-line wrap: Read the spike with context, then act—protect early, support survivors, and deliver swift, child-friendly justice.