Bhadrak: While the crime graph is steadily on the rise in this district, those of sexual assaults on minor girls have increased manifold. This is happening despite lakhs of rupees having been spent on spreading awareness on child protection at school and college levels.
Reports said 45 such cases were recorded in 2013. The figure went up to 51 the next year. It touched 76 in 2015. The next year, the number was logged at 92. It rose to 152 last year. Till date this year, 50 such cases were reported. Most of the accused in these cases are juveniles.
In some cases, minors are sexually exploited by those in and around their families themselves, but generally this is happening outside of homes. Kidnapping cases have also gone up. There are complaints that the woman and child desks set up in all police stations are not functioning properly.
Posts of women officers in many police stations are lying vacant. So, surprisingly, male officers are handling the woman and child desks in certain stations.
In cases of rape of minors, victims are taken to police stations where there is the woman and child desk, to record their statements. More often than not, such stations are at faraway places. There, if women police officers are not available, the plight of the victims is worse.
Subrat Das, probationary officer of the child protection unit, said there was the need for massive awareness and formation of anti-harassment cells at the panchayat, police station and school levels. People in rural pockets are unaware of the POCSO (protection of children from sexual offences) Act. Over 400 sexual assault cases are pending in special courts.
