Press Information Bureau

Government of India
Ministry of Women and Child Development
19 JUL 2019 5:30PM by PIB Delhi

Protection of Women and Child Rights

As per National Crime Records Bureau which is available up to 2016, the details of State/UT-wise
cases registered under crime against women and crime against children during 2014- 2016 are at
Annexure-I.

The Ministry recognizes that incidence of crime against women cannot be controlled unless mindsets
of people, in general, are made to change. There are many reasons behind increasing crimes against
women such as unequal economic, social and political status of women, patriarchal mindsets etc.

‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India.
The responsibilities towards maintenance of law and order and protection of life and property of
citizens rest primarily with State Governments. The State Governments are competent to deal with
such offences under the extant provisions of laws. However, safety and security of women and
children in the country is of utmost priority for the Government.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has been administering various special laws relating
to women such as ‘The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005’, ‘The Dowry
Prohibition Act, 1961’, ‘The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986’, ‘The Sexual
Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013’, and ‘The
Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006’. India is signatory to United Nations Convention on Right of
Child (UNCRC) since 1992. In adherence to its commitment to ensure child rights, the Government
has framed the National Policy for Children 2013 and National Plan of Action 2016. It has also framed
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2015, The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences
(POCSO) Act, 2012 and The Commissions for Protection of Child Right (CPCR) Act, 2005.

The Juvenile Justice Act mandates a security net of service delivery structures to provide Institutional
or non-institutional care for children in need of care and protection and children in conflict with law.
The POCSO Act acknowledges various kind of child sex abuse and provides stringent punishment for
the same. It provides for child friendly procedures at every stage of trial and stipulates mandatory
reporting of the crime. Criminal Law (Amendment), Act 2013 was enacted for effective legal
deterrence against sexual offences. Further, ‘The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018’ have also
been enacted making the punishment for offences like rape more stringent by including death
penalty for rape of a girl below the age of 12 years. The Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 mandates
right of children to free and compulsory education. The CPCR Act, 2005 mandates establishment of
Statutory Commissions at centre and State levels to protect, defend and promote child rights in the
country. National Commission and all the State Commissions have been set up under the said Act.
The Government of India has set up a non-lapsable corpus of fund under Nirbhaya Fund Framework
for enhancing safety and security of women. The Ministry of Women and Child Development is also
implementing Schemes including the Scheme of ‘One Stop Centres’ for violence affected women, the
Scheme of ‘Women Helpline’ and the Scheme of ‘Mahila Police Volunteers’ under the Nirbhaya Fund
Framework.

The Ministry has also launched various programs and Schemes for reducing gender related
disparities. The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), has been launched for promoting a
better enabling environment by providing cash incentives for improved health and nutrition to
pregnant and lactating mothers. The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) is a comprehensive program to
address the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of empowerment of girls and women
over a life-cycle continuum with coordinated efforts of Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and
Human Resource Development with Ministry of Women and Child Development. Mahila Shakti
Kendra scheme empowers rural women through community participation through involvement of
Student Volunteers. Ujjawala scheme is targeted for rescue, rehabilitation and re-integration of
women and child victims of trafficking.

Further, the Government recognizes that the incidence of crime against women and children cannot
be controlled unless mindset of people, in general, undergoes a positive change. Therefore, The
Government of India conducts awareness generation programs and publicity campaigns on various
laws relating to women and their rights through workshops, cultural events, seminars, trainings,
advertisements in print and electronic media etc.

The Ministry is also implementing umbrella ICDS scheme which comprehensively addresses the need
for child development and protection. Samagra Shiksha Scheme has been launched by the
Government to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education. National Child Labour Project is
being implemented to eliminate all forms of child labour.

Annexure-I

State-wise details of crime against women and children during 2014, 2015 and 2016

Crime Against Women Crime Against Children

1 Andhra Pradesh 16526 15967 16362 2059 1992 1847

2 Arunachal Pradesh 351 384 367 134 181 133

3 Assam 19169 23365 20869 1385 2835 3964

5 Chhattisgarh 6301 5783 5947 4358 4469 4746

6 Goa 508 392 371 330 242 230

7 Gujarat 10854 7777 8532 3219 3623 3637

8 Haryana 9010 9511 9839 2540 3262 3099

9 Himachal Pradesh 1529 1295 1222 467 477 467

10 Jammu & Kashmir 3327 3366 2850 211 308 222

11 Jharkhand 6086 6568 5453 423 406 717

12 Karnataka 14004 12775 14131 3416 3961 4455

13 Kerala 11451 9767 10034 2391 2384 2879

14 Madhya Pradesh 28756 24231 26604 15085 12859 13746

15 Maharashtra 26818 31216 31388 8115 13921 14559

16 Manipur 337 266 253 137 110 134

17 Meghalaya 390 337 372 213 257 240

18 Mizoram 258 158 120 178 186 188

19 Nagaland 68 91 105 25 61 78

20 Odisha 14651 17200 17837 2196 2562 3286

21 Punjab 5481 5340 5105 1762 1836 1843

22 Rajasthan 31216 28224 27422 3880 3689 4034

23 Sikkim 111 53 153 93 64 110

24 Tamil Nadu 6354 5919 4463 2354 2617 2856

25 Telangana 14147 15425 15374 1930 2697 2909

26 Tripura 1618 1267 1013 369 255 274

28 Uttarakhand 1413 1465 1588 489 635 676

29 West Bengal 38424 33318 32513 4909 4963 7004

30 A & N Islands 117 136 108 50 102 86

31 Chandigarh 434 468 414 208 271 222

32 D&N Haveli 21 25 28 11 35 21

33 Daman & Diu 16 29 41 7 28 31

34 Delhi UT 15319 17222 15310 9350 9489 8178

35 Lakshadweep 4 9 9 1 2 5

36 Puducherry 77 82 95 38 56 71

This information was given by the Minister of Women and Child Development, Smriti Zubin Irani, in a
written reply in the Lok Sabha today.