NCRB 2024: Crime against children up 46% in 4 years; cyber sexual exploitation major concern

Special Correspondent

NewsBits.in

NEW DELHI: The latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reveals a worrying rise in crimes against children in India, even as overall crimes in the country have declined.

According to NCRB 2024 data, a total of 1,87,702 cases of crimes against children were recorded across India in one year– an increase of 5.8 per cent from 1,77,335 cases reported in 2023.

In contrast, overall crimes in India declined by nearly 10.8 per cent over the past four years (from 66.01 lakh cases in 2020 to 58.86 lakh cases in 2024). During the same period, crimes against children rose sharply from 1, 28,531 cases in 2020 to 1,87,702 cases in 2024, marking a worrying increase of over 46 per cent.

A quick analysis of NCRB data by CRY – Child Rights and You shows that cybercrimes against children accounted for nearly 0.7 per cent of all crimes against children recorded in 2024. Of the total 1,87,702 crimes against children registered during the year, 1,238 cases were booked under the Information Technology (IT) Act as cybercrimes against children.

Major concern

Significantly, an overwhelming majority of these offences involved publishing or transmitting material depicting children in sexually explicit acts. Such cases accounted for 1,099 of the 1,238 cybercrime cases registered against children in 2024 – nearly nine out of every 10 cases.

In comparison, all other categories of cybercrimes against children together accounted for only 139 cases, underlining how transmission of sexually explicit digital content involving children remains the dominant form of cybercrime targeting children in India.

According to CRY’s analysis of state-wise NCRB data, Chhattisgarh recorded the highest number of cybercrimes against children with 268 cases, followed by Rajasthan (174), Delhi (151), Uttar Pradesh (137) and Kerala (92). Together, these five states accounted for 822 cases –two-third (66.4 per cent) of all cybercrimes against children recorded in the country in 2024.

“The recent cybercrime trends revealed by NCRB once again underscore why children’s safety in the online space must remain a national priority. In today’s hyper-connected world shaped increasingly by algorithms and AI, protecting children online is no longer just about controlling screens. It is about building awareness, empathy and agency among children and caregivers alike to safeguard children’s identity, and ensure their dignity and emotional well-being in digital spaces,” said Soha Moitra, Director of Programmes at CRY – Child Rights and You.

“Children need trusted adults, stronger support systems and safe environments for open conversations. Guidance, digital literacy and emotional handholding are critical in helping children recognise threats before harm occurs,” Moitra added.

Sexual offences against children

The NCRB data also highlights the continuing scale of sexual offences against children under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. A total of 69,191 POCSO cases were registered across India in 2024, with a crime rate of 15.6 per one lakh child population.

Girls constituted an overwhelming majority of victims/survivors in cases registered under Sections 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act, which deal with penetrative sexual assault and aggravated penetrative sexual assault respectively. Of the 44,567 child victims/survivors recorded under these sections (POCSO Act, Sec. 4 & 6) in 2024, as many as 43,675 were girls, accounting for 98 per cent of all victims. Boys accounted for 892 victims.

The highest number of victims was reported among children aged 16-18 years, with 23,497 victims recorded in this age group alone. Girls constituted 99.5 per cent of victims within this category, indicating the heightened vulnerability of adolescent girls.

The NCRB data further shows that in the overwhelming majority of POCSO cases, the offender was known to the child. Out of 44,126 cases recorded under Sections 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act, 42,634 cases (96.6 per cent) involved offenders known to the victim. Only 1,492 cases involved unknown or unidentified offenders.

Among known offenders, the largest category comprised friends, online friends, or live-in partners on the pretext of marriage, accounting for 22,308 cases. This was followed by family friends, neighbours, employers and other known persons, who together accounted for 16,668 cases. More disturbingly, family members themselves were identified as offenders in 3,658 POCSO cases recorded during 2024.

“The growing scale of crimes against children, both online and offline, demands far greater public awareness, stronger community vigilance, robust redressal mechanisms and faster justice delivery. Alongside ensuring preventive education and access to safe reporting mechanisms, there must also be strong and swift punitive action against perpetrators to send an unequivocal message that crime against children will not be tolerated in any form,” Soha concluded.