POCSO Crimes Have Quadrupled In Kerala Since 2012: Report
Amid the two recent cases of crimes against minors that have come to light in Kerala, government data has revealed an increasing number of cases of atrocities against minors in the state.
Merely after two months of hitting the headlines for a case of sexual assault and subsequent killing of a minor girl, another case of alleged rape of an underaged girl has come to haunt Aluva in Kochi. This time around, a nine-year-old girl, the daughter of a migrant couple, was allegedly abducted from her house while she was asleep and raped in an open field.
The incident came to light after a neighbour heard the child’s cry and saw someone beating the girl and taking her away. As soon as he noticed that the accused was going to a deserted field with the child, the local resident informed the neighbours. The child was found after a search was conducted by the locals. The mother was unaware about the abduction of her daughter until the neighbours informed her.
Elaborating on the case, relatives said to the media in Kochi that the victim, along with her two siblings, were sleeping in a room while the mother was in another room.
While the door of the house was locked from inside, the accused opened the door through an adjacent open window and entered the house. After abducting the child, he put the latch of the door back through the window. The child’s father was out of station in search of work.
While the seriously injured child has been admitted to a Kalamassery hospital, questions are being raised by locals about the safety of children in the area.
Charge sheet filed in connection to rape and killing of 5-year-old
With regard to the gruesome rape and murder of a five-year-old, which took place in July and for which a charge sheet was filed by the police last week. Aluva Rural SP Vivek Kumar stated that the accused had been identified. “CCTV footage of the accused has also been obtained,” the SP said. He hinted that the accused in this crime is a resident of the area and will be arrested soon.
Asfaq Alam, a native of Bihar, is the only accused in the brutal crime. The charge sheet was filed in the Ernakulam Additional District Sessions Court (Atrocities Against Women and Children) under the leadership of District Police Chief Vivek Kumar, who is the head of the investigation team. The charge sheet in the case was filed in a record time of 35 days in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) case, based on strong circumstantial, scientific, cyber and forensic evidence, doctors’ reports and medical records.
There are 99 witnesses in the 645-page charge sheet. Material objects including shoes, clothes and crucial documents are mentioned in the charge sheet. Two special investigation teams went to Bihar and Delhi to collect crucial information about the accused. The police clarified that the charge sheet had been prepared in such a way as to ensure the maximum punishment for the accused.
Scientific evidence was important in this case, including DNA test results. A loophole-free charge sheet was prepared to secure the maximum punishment for the accused with a criminal background, police said.
At this juncture, a similar incident was repeated in Aluva while trial proceedings are about to begin in the earlier case.
Kerala POCSO cases on the rise
The annual report filed by the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights for 2022-23 shows that POCSO cases in the state have quadrupled since 2012.
As per the report, some 4,852 POCSO cases were registered in Kerala during the year. In comparison, in 2020, 3,030 cases were reported, where 2,842 survivors were girls and 415 were boys. In 2021, 3,322 cases were reported of which 3,072 were girls and 426 were boys, hinting at an alarming spike.
However, what it also reveals is that since the enforcement of POCSO Act in 2012, the cases registered have quadrupled in the past 10 years. In 2013, the total number of cases registered was 1,002.
Thiruvananthapuram district recorded the maximum number of cases reported followed by Malappuram. The report also reveals that 1,004 cases of crime against minors were committed at their own home, 722 in the accused’s house, and 648 took place in public places. Some 60 cases of POCSO crimes were reported in religious institutes, 133 in schools, 102 in vehicles, 96 at friends’ homes, 99 in hotels and lodges, 29 at hospitals and 12 at childcare facilities.
