Sexual crimes against children have increased 336 per cent in the last decade. Unicef released data based on data collated by the National Crimes Record Bureau, which states that 48,338 child rape cases were recorded between 2001-11.
From the 24,270 cases reported in 2011, a staggering 7,112 or 30 per cent were cases of rape of girls below the age of 18.
This increase of epidemic proportions has forced the Unicef to sound the red siren alarm to focus on girls who remain amongst the most vulnerable as they face multiple forms of discrimination and violence.
This is not to say that boys are not victims of child abuse. The ministry of women and child development study on child abuse in India ( 2007), comprising interviews with 12500 kids across 13 states, confirmed that sexual abuse was rampant amongst children who do not talk about this crime and, therefore. "a conspiracy of silence continues to shroud it".
While Madhya Pradesh topped the list with 9,465 cases of child rape followed by Maharashtra (6,868) and Uttar Pradesh (5,949), Daman and Diu (9), Dadra and Nagar Haveli (15) and Nagaland (38) reported the least number of child rape cases.