A report compiled by the Kerala State Rights Panel showed that out of the total number of child abuse cases reported in the state in 2022, most of the offences of sexual assault happened to the victims in their own homes.
These startling figures, which were disclosed in the recent report, indicated that for survivors of sexual assault, even their own homes were not safe for them, reports PTI.
According to the annual report of the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights for 2022-23, of the total 4,582 instances reported in the southern state under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act during 2022, the survivors' homes were the scene of the crime in 1,004 cases.
The crime occurred at the perpetrator’s home in 772 cases, whereas, in 648 cases, it occurred in other public areas.
When the places of occurrence of the offence in 4,582 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) instances reported were examined, it was discovered that the children were subjected to abuse in their own homes in 1,004 cases, according to the report.
Molestation of children was also reported at schools, which make up 133 incidents; cars, which make up 102 cases; hotels or lodges, which make up 99 cases; religious institutions, which make up 60 cases; hospitals, which make up 29 cases, and other places.
In the 4,582 POCSO incidents documented in the state last year, there were 4642 survivors.
"This indicates that there is more than one survivor in many cases. Under this circumstance, children should be given awareness about POCSO laws and child-friendly procedures," the report added.
The majority of the cases reported, that is 583 cases, were from Thiruvananthapuram, with a smaller number of 189 cases from Pathanamthitta.
According to the report, 4,008 of the 4,642 survivors were girls and 578 were boys, indicating that girls were more vulnerable to sexual assault.
Among the accused, 16 per cent were romantic partners, 12 per cent were neighbours, 9 per cent were family members, 8 per cent were relatives, and 3 per cent were teachers.
The bulk of survivors are children determined to be between the ages of 15 and 18 and are 2563 in number.
There were 55 survivors who belonged to the age group of 0-4 years.
The child panel report also found that 93 per cent of the accused in the POCSO cases were men, while two per cent were women.