Over 1,000 kids in Kerala sexually abused in own home in 2022: Child Rights Panel

Most cases of sexual assault on children in Kerala during the last year took place within the house of the victims or survivors itself, says a report of the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

Among the 4,582 child abuse cases registered in Kerala in 2022, in as many as 1,004 cases, the places of occurrence of the crime were the houses of the survivors or victims. This was the highest number of child abuse cases, followed by 722 cases that took place at the houses of the accused and 648 at public places.

The commission chairperson, K V Manoj Kumar, told DH that the increasing instances of sexual abuse against children at their homes had been taking place since the time of Covid-induced lockdown.

The report also said that in as many as 462 cases, the accused were family members and in 389 cases, the relatives of the children were the accused. In 801 cases, the purported lovers were the accused.

The majority of the survivors were in the age group of 15 to 18 — 2,563, followed by 1,538 in the 10-14 age group. As many as 55 children under the age of four also underwent sexual abuse.

Among the 5,002 accused, 115 were women and among the survivors, 578 were males and the remaining females.

Over the years, Kerala has also seen a steady increase in the number of cases being registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POSCO).

While 3,030 POCSO cases were registered in 2020, it increased to 3,322 in 2021 and further increased to 4,582 in 2022.

Kumar said that the increase in the number of POCSO cases was the result of proper awareness initiatives at various levels. “The reporting of sexual abuses against children has increased following awareness campaigns. However, in many cases of abuse by the lovers, there was a tendency for settling the cases once the accused gave the assurance to marry the survivor,” he added.