Mokokchung, September 8 (MTNews): According to the National Crime Records Bureau 2021, Nagaland had 59 crimes against minors in 2019; 31 in 2020; and 51 in 2021.
In 2021, 31 incidents were reported under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO Act), with females being the victims in 25 of them.
The victims included three children under the age of 6, six girls aged 6-12, and fourteen females aged 12-16 and two females aged 16-18. At the time of the publication, only 5 perpetrators had been convicted in the 51 cases.
Takotila Jamir, Coordinator of Childline, Mokokchung, told Mokokchung Times that crimes against children are on the rise. However, she stated that, while the increase in crime is alarming, it may also be viewed positively.
“An increase in documented crimes may also indicate that individuals are becoming more aware of such acts and, as a result, are reporting them. Otherwise, many crimes continue to take place behind closed doors without making a sound,” she explained.
According to her, the most of the crimes she has witnessed in Mokokchung involve domestic employees. “So far, the offences perpetrated against those domestic helpers have all been physical abuses. There has been no sexual abuse of a domestic worker that has been reported,” she stated.
Nonetheless, all the sexual assault situations she has encountered over the years, she claims that the abusers are mostly people known to the victims.
According to NCRB statistics, 23 incidences were when offenders were known to the victim, with one being a family member, 19 being friends/relative/neighbors/employees, and three being friends/online friends or live-in partners under the pretext of marriage.
“Every crime involving child sexual assault has a separate story and different motive, so it’s difficult to identify what’s causing the spike in crime against children,” she explained.
“Some crimes occurred as a result of pornography, while others occurred under the influence of alcohol. We also have stories about underage sex with allegations of rape, so there are many different scenarios,” she explained.
This report comes against the backdrop of Mokokchung Police arresting an accused named Tongpangmeren on September 7 for allegedly sexually abusing a minor.
Crime against children has been increasing since the past few years if statistics of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) are an indication.
According to experts, a poor conviction rate leads to an alarming increase in crime against children. It is to be noted that only 5 people were convicted despite 66 were arrested and 52 were charged in Nagaland.