Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, May 26: Maharashtra recorded the highest number of crimes against children in 2024, while girls continued to make up the majority of missing children cases, according to an analysis of the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data released by child rights organisation Child Rights and You (CRY).
The report revealed that Maharashtra registered 24,171 crimes against children during 2024, the highest in the country. Uttar Pradesh followed with 22,222 cases, while Madhya Pradesh reported 21,908. In terms of crime rate per lakh children, Madhya Pradesh topped the list at 76.2, while Maharashtra recorded a rate of 66.9.
Across India, a total of 1,87,702 crimes against children were reported in 2024 — averaging more than 514 cases every day. The figures mark a steep rise over the past decade, compared to 89,423 cases recorded in 2014.
The study also highlighted Maharashtra’s leading position in kidnapping and abduction-related offences involving children under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), with 12,994 such cases reported during the year.
According to the findings, Maharashtra registered 3,495 cases of missing children in 2024. However, the total number of active missing children cases, including those carried forward from previous years, stood at 5,540.
Girls accounted for a significantly larger share of the missing children cases in the state. Of the children reported missing during the year, 2,057 were girls, while 1,438 were boys. The larger active pool included 3,165 girls, 2,372 boys and three transgender children.
Despite the high numbers, Maharashtra recorded notable progress in tracing and recovering missing children. A total of 3,737 children were traced or rescued during 2024, including 2,123 girls, 1,611 boys and three transgender children. The overall recovery rate stood at 67.5 per cent.
Even so, 1,803 children remained untraced by the end of the year, including 1,042 girls and 761 boys.
At the national level, the number of missing children increased from 1,38,609 in 2023 to 1,47,175 in 2024 — a rise of 6.2 per cent. Girls represented nearly 76 per cent of all missing children cases across the country, while adolescents aged between 16 and 18 years formed the most affected group.
Commenting on the findings, Kreeanne Rabadi said stronger monitoring systems and legal mechanisms were urgently needed to safeguard children, especially girls.
She emphasised that closer coordination between government agencies and civil society organisations would be essential to strengthen child protection systems and improve the timely tracing and recovery of missing children.