Crime against children has gone up by a whopping 66 per cent with 392 incidents reported in Assam last year and rape cases involving minors rising by nearly four-times, State Commission for Protection of Child Rights said today.
Citing data from National Crime Records Bureau, the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) said the state had witnessed a total of 236 cases in 2011.
"Violence against children is a very serious issue in our state and it affects the growth of a child. In Assam, it has been rising," ASCPCR Chairperson Runumi Gogoi said at a press conference here.
According to data, incidents of minor rapes are increasing at an alarming rate and it went up by four-times to 156 cases in 2012 from 40 cases in the previous year.
Kidnapping and abduction of children have also been on a rise with the state registering 68 cases last year against 29 such incidents in the previous year, a jump of over two-times.
Likewise, child murders have almost doubled to 15 cases from 8 in the year-ago period, ASCPCR said.
However, incidents of procuration of minor girls declined by 14 per cent to 122 cases in 2012 from 142 cases last year.
Other crimes against children saw an increase of 82 per cent to 31 incidents from 17 cases in 2011, ASCPCR added.
Talking about child marriage, Gogoi said "This social menace is still going on. It is mainly prevalent among tribal people, tea community, missing villages and many interior localities. We have been trying to educate people against it."
To discuss various issues related to violence against children, ASCPCR along with UNICEF will organise a two-day consultation in the city on October 29-30.
