Mubashir Aalam Wani
Srinagar, Dec 06 :
Jammu and Kashmir has recorded a hike of 35 percent in crime against children in the last two years, reveals the latest NCRB report.
As per the report, a copy of which is available with news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), compared to 606 cases in 2020, 920 cases of crime against children have been registered by police in Jammu and Kashmir in the year 2022.
In 2021, the Union Territory had recorded 845 cases of crime against children in Jammu and Kashmir.
At national level, a total of 1,62,449 cases of crime against children were registered during 2022, showing an increase of 8.7% over 2021 (1,49,404 cases).
As per the report last year, 316 cases have been registered under POCSO by the police in Jammu and Kashmir
A total of 318 victims were reported last year under POCSO in Jammu and Kashmir, the report said.
It said last year 513 incidents of kidnapping and abduction of children were registered by the police in Jammu and Kashmir.
As many as 534 victims were reported in these 513 incidents of kidnapping and abduction of children.
The report said that seven incidents of human trafficking of children have been reported last year in Jammu and Kashmir. The police found 10 victims who were being trafficked in Jammu and Kashmir last year.
Moreover, 75 children as per the report who were missing were deemed as kidnapped last year.
The NCRB report said that 29 incidents of kidnapping and abduction of minor girls to compel her for marriage were registered by police last year under Section 366 of IPC in the union territory.
It said that two cases of Prohibition of Child Marriage Act were registered by the police in Jammu and Kashmir last year.
In addition to it, the report said that two cases of children involved in cybercrimes and the Information Technology Act were registered by the police last year.
A case of foeticide was also registered by the police last year in Jammu and Kashmir, the report said.
Pertinently the central government extended the Child Protection Services Scheme (formerly the Integrated Child Protection Scheme) to J&K in January 2018.
The Child Protection Services Scheme is aimed at providing a secure, protective environment for vulnerable children, including those in situations of abuse.
With the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019, the J&K POCSO Act was repealed and replaced by the POCSO (Amendment) Act, 2019—(KNO)