Children under attack: trends and patterns of sexual offences against children in India

Introduction: Recently, the United Nations declared November 18 as the World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Violence. Despite sexua l offences against children being frequently reported in Indian media, scientific studies analysing the annual trends and re gional patterns of these crimes are scarce in India. Objectives: To describe annual trends and regional patterns of sexual crimes against children (CAC) in India Methods: National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB) data on sexual c rimes for years 2014-2021 were analysed to describe annual trends and regional patterns of sexual offences against childr en in India. Results: An incremental trend in sexual offences was reported dur ing the 2014-2021 period. Sexual offences had the highest crime rate in 2021 (12.1%). There was a continuous increase in sexual offences in each succeeding year during the 2014-2021 period. The highest year-over-year increase was reported in 2017 (142%). The proportion of sexual offences in all CAC increased from 10% in 2014 to 36% in 2021. A higher num ber of cases were reported among girls (mean=25112; SD=5371) than boys (mean=241; SD=47). In 2021, Delhi had the highest crime rate for all CAC, while Andaman and Nicobar Islands had the highest crime rate for sexual offences. Conclusions & Recommendations: Despite the legal framework av ailable to protect children, there is still an increase in sexual offences against children in India. Regional patterns suggest a diverse distribution of sexual offences across India. A higher concentration of sexual offences was reported on remote, g eographically smaller Indian islands as well as on the densely populated mainland of India. Interventions aimed at providi ng knowledge about reporting sexual offences, altering community attitudes, and encouraging a safe and healthy childhood a re recommended.