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New Delhi: Nearly nine out of every 10 cybercrimes against children in India in 2024 involved transmitting sexually explicit content depicting children, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.

The latest NCRB figures showed that crimes against children continued to rise despite an overall decline in crimes across the country.

A total of 1,87,702 cases of crimes against children were recorded across India in 2024, up 5.8 per cent from 1,77,335 cases in 2023.

Overall crimes decline by 10.8 pc over last 4 years

In contrast, overall crimes in India declined by nearly 10.8 per cent over the last four years, from 66.01 lakh cases in 2020 to 58.86 lakh cases in 2024.

During the same period, crimes against children rose sharply from 1,28,531 cases in 2020 to 1,87,702 cases in 2024, marking a worrying spike of over 46 per cent.

An analysis of the latest NCRB data by CRY – Child Rights and You shows 1,238 cases were registered under the Information Technology Act in connection with cybercrimes against children in 2024, accounting for nearly 0.7 per cent of all crimes against children.

Of these, 1,099 cases involved publishing or transmitting material depicting children in sexually explicit acts, while all other categories together accounted for only 139 cases.

Highest number of cybercrimes against children in Chhattisgarh

According to CRY’s analysis of state-wise NCRB data, Chhattisgarh recorded the highest number of cybercrimes against children with 268 cases, followed by Rajasthan (174), Delhi (151), Uttar Pradesh (137) and Kerala (92). Together, these five states accounted for 66.4 per cent of all such cases recorded in the country.

“The recent cybercrime trends revealed by NCRB once again underscore why children’s safety in the online space must remain a national priority. In today’s hyperconnected world shaped increasingly by algorithms and AI (artificial intelligence), protecting children online is no longer just about controlling screens,” said Soha Moitra, Director of Programmes at CRY – Child Rights and You.

The NCRB data also highlights the continuing trend of sexual offences against children, with a total of 69,191 cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in 2024, with a crime rate of 15.6 per one lakh children.

Girls accounted for 43,675 of the 44,567 victims recorded under Sections 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act, dealing with penetrative sexual assault and aggravated penetrative sexual assault, constituting 98 per cent of the victims. Boys accounted for 892 victims.

Children aged between 16 and 18 years constituted the highest number of victims, with 23,497 cases recorded in this category. Girls accounted for 99.5 per cent of victims in this age group.

The data further showed that in 96.6 per cent of POCSO cases recorded under Sections 4 and 6, the offender was known to the child.

Out of 44,126 such cases, 42,634 involved known offenders, while only 1,492 cases involved unknown persons.

Friends top largest category of known offenders

Among known offenders, the largest category comprised friends, online friends or live-in partners on the pretext of marriage, accounting for 22,308 cases. Family friends, neighbours, employers and other known persons together accounted for 16,668 cases, while family members themselves were offenders in 3,658 cases.

“The growing scale of crimes against children, both online and offline, demands far greater public awareness, stronger community vigilance, robust redressal mechanisms and faster justice delivery,” Moitra said.

Besides ensuring preventive education and access to safe reporting mechanisms, there must also be strong and swift punitive action against perpetrators to send an unequivocal message that crimes against children will not be tolerated in any form, she added.