Ensuring child safety is a collective responsibility, says Union Minister Pemmasani

Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar on Saturday stressed that society must take collective responsibility for ensuring the safety of children, noting that young victims cannot fight for their rights on their own.

Speaking at an awareness programme on the protection of child rights and prevention of crimes against children, the Union Minister highlighted alarming national data on child safety. According to 2023 figures, nearly 1.7 lakh cases involving crimes against children were registered in India. Of these, around 45 per cent were kidnappings and 38 per cent were cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).

An average of 192 cases related to sexual offences against children are reported daily nationwide. In nearly 96 per cent of the cases, the accused are persons known to the victims, he noted, adding that many incidents go unreported due to fear and social pressure. Only about three per cent of such cases are officially reported, he said.

Mr. Chandra Sekhar also pointed to the persistence of child labour, stating that Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh together account for around 55 per cent of child labour cases.

Tribal Welfare Minister Gummadi Sandhya Rani, MLC Alapati Rajendra Prasad, local legislators, child welfare officials and education department representatives partcipated in the programme.