Bhubaneswar: A disturbing fact has gone unnoticed amid the recent uproar over the rising sexual offences against women in the state. A whitepaper by the state Home department and data available from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) revealed that there was a constant rise in the number of criminal cases registered against juveniles in the state over the past couple of years.
As per data presented in the State Assembly, cases involving juveniles have witnessed a rise of 38 per cent over last five years. Juveniles were involved in many serious crimes like murders, attempts to murder, rapes and dacoities. As many as 838 cases under various sections of the Special and Local Laws and Indian Penal Code were registered against persons aged below 18 at police stations in the state in 2014 which rose to 1,155 in 2018– a rise of 37.82 per cent.
The number of cases involving children in conflict with law went up to 934 in 2015. The number went up to 994 in 2016. A total of 1,089 cases were registered against 1,469 juveniles in 2017; out of this 1,058 were boys and the rest were minor girls. Registration of crimes involving juveniles rose to 1,155 in 2018 that included 1,130 boys and 25 girls.
The whitepaper indicated that 95 per cent of juveniles in 2016 found involved in criminal activities including most heinous types lived with their parents while they committed the crime while the number of homeless juveniles was just two.
Similarly, an examination of the educational background of the 1,285 juvenile accused in 2016 revealed that 27 per cent of them were illiterates while 73 per cent were under Class X. Most of the juvenile accused were apprehended for involvement in thefts and robberies (31 per cent). This was followed by rape or sexual misbehavior.
“There are several factors responsible for the spike in criminal tendencies among juveniles like parents failed to keep vigil on their wards. Many of these children are found habitual offenders. Authorities also give less attention to the functioning of correctional homes where children in conflict with law are kept for rehabilitation,” said child rights activist Benudhar Senapati said.
Broken families, lack of proper parental care are the prime reasons for the rising juvenile crime cases in the state. Earlier, juveniles involved in criminal activities were treated as adults by the investigating officials but over last couple of years due to continuous sensitization of police about the rights of juveniles and establishment of Juvenile Justice Boards, officials are registering juvenile cases in the special category, said a top police official requesting anonymity.
