August 21, 2012

Maha shame: Maharashtra tops in child murders

Times of India 

MUMBAI: Maharashtra tops the list of places most dangerous for children under 10 years of age to live in, as it has the highest number of murder victims in this age group. And when the age bar is raised to 18 years, the state slips a tad to second spot, just behind Uttar Pradesh. So, it comes as no surprise that of the top seven cities in the country having the worst crime record on children, three from the state—Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur—figure in that list.

The National Crime Records Bureau data between 2006 and 2011 show that Maharashtra with murders of 461 boys and 430 girls under 10 years of age is far ahead of states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. As for the total number of children up to the age of 18 killed, Maharashtra has seen 757 boys and 639 girls murdered, taking the toll to 1,396 deaths in six years.

Most of the deaths have been caused by either sexual abuse or crime committed for money . There are instances of domestic violence also that have claimed the lives of children, experts said. "Most of the sexual abuse cases that come to light are from the lower class of society. Such cases happen in the upper class too but few get reported or noticed," said Bina Seth Laskshri, a member of the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

MOST CASES ARE OF SEXUAL ABUSE, SAY EXPERTS

The main reasons behind child murders have been sexual abuse, kidnapping for ransom and domestic violence , while others like illegitimate pregnancy and neglect of girl child are also factors for the deaths.