Alappuzha: Cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) continue to rise alarmingly in the state, according to the latest data available on the police website.
Till April, there were 1,156 cases registered this year, compared to 907 in the same period last year. The total number last year was 3,179.
More cases are now getting reported as a result of child welfare committees and Childline holding awareness campaigns. However, many cases still go unreported, as parents fear the stigma.
Most populated Malappuram topped the districts with 176 cases followed by Thiruvananthapuram, the second most-populated, with 147 cases.
The highest number of cases was in March (312) and the lowest in January (269).
Rights activists say only a few parents or victims are approaching Childline or the CWC seeking a solution.
Concerned over the low conviction rate in these cases, the Kerala State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR) a couple of years ago had taken a slew of measures for strengthening child welfare committees and other legal bodies under the JJ Act for speedy disposal of the pending POCSO cases.
Over 5,600 POCSO cases are still pending trial in the state. From November 2012 to December 2015, the special court disposed of only 7 per cent of the cases.
In 2016, 4,025 people got arrested in 2122 cases. In 2015, the arrests were 2714 in 2391 cases. The conviction rate stands at a mere 20 per cent or 53 of the 261 cases.
Unofficial data say verdicts came in about 530 POCSO cases tried between 2013 and 2016, but only 70 went in favour of victims. Over 85 per cent got acquitted when hardly 15 per cent got convicted.
