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India
Madhya Pradesh Has Highest Number Of Missing Girls, Reveals Govt Data
|The Ministry of Women and Child Development data indicates that from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2023, a staggering 2,75,125 children went missing, out of which 2,12,825 were girls and 62,237 were boys.
According to government data, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Karnataka are the top three states with the highest number of missing girls in the last five years. The Ministry of Women and Child Development data indicates that from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2023, a staggering 2,75,125 children went missing, out of which 2,12,825 were girls and 62,237 were boys.
Madhya Pradesh stands out as the state with the most missing girls and children overall, with 49,024 girls among the 61,102 missing children reported in the Lok Sabha. West Bengal follows with 49,129 missing children, including 41,808 girls. Karnataka reports 27,528 missing children, out of which 18,893 are girls. Gujarat, Delhi, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh also have significant numbers of missing girls, reported The New Indian Express.
Among the missing children, 240,502 were successfully found, but the numbers are still concerning. The data highlights that there is not enough emphasis on the protection of girls in the country, despite campaigns like 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.' According to Prof Shanta Sinha, former head of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, there needs to be continuous efforts in building knowledge, information, and awareness to strengthen the childcare protection system.
Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani mentioned the development of the 'TrackChild Portal,' which aids in tracking missing and found children. Nonetheless, the issue of missing girls demands greater attention and action to safeguard the well-being of these children.
NCRB Report On Crime Against Women
According to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), crime against women in India has seen a concerning increase in 2021. There was a notable rise of 15.3% in such crimes compared to the previous year, with the number of incidents per 1 lakh population also witnessing an 8% surge across the country.
In 2021, a total of 4,28,278 cases of crime against women were reported, indicating an increase of 56,775 cases compared to the 3,71,503 cases registered in 2020. The rate of crime against women per 1 lakh population also escalated from 56.5% in 2020 to 64.5% in 2021, reported Financial Express.
The data reveals that the highest number of cases (31.8%) fell under the category of "Cruelty by husband or his relatives." Other prominent categories include "Assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty" (20.8%), kidnapping and abduction (17.6%), and rape (7.4%).
In terms of states, Assam recorded the highest rate of crime against women in 2021 (168.3%), followed by Odisha, Haryana, Telangana, and Rajasthan. Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of registered cases at 56,083 in 2021, followed by Rajasthan, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Odisha.
Nagaland stood out with the lowest number of cases (54) among states and also topped the list with the lowest crime rate against women in 2021 at 5.5%.
Among Union Territories, Delhi had the highest crime rate against women in 2021 at 147.6% and also topped in terms of absolute numbers of cases registered.
Analyzing cities with a population of 2 million or more, Jaipur had the highest crime rate at 194%, followed by Delhi at 147.6%. In terms of actual case numbers among these cities, Delhi recorded the highest with 13,982 cases.
Rajasthan reported the highest rate of rape in 2021 at 16.4% and also had the maximum number of rape cases with 6,337 registered. The state also reported the highest number of rape cases involving minor girls, totaling 1,453.
Overall, the data indicates a concerning increase in crime against women in India, emphasizing the need for greater efforts to address and combat such issues in the country.
A total of 284 cases of “murder with gangrape/rape” were registered in 2021, the same number in 2019, but higher than 218 such incidents reported in 2020. A total of 28,000 women, including 12,000 minors, were abducted in 2021 to be “compelled into marriage’’, the NCRB data shows.
The highest number of such cases has been reported in UP (8,599) followed by Bihar (6,589).
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