An analysis of the latest crime data has underlined a stark gendered reality of child sexual abuse in Maharashtra. Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) show that girls overwhelmingly bear the brunt of crimes registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in the state.
According to Crime in India 2023, analysed by child rights organisation Child Rights and You (CRY), 98.16% of POCSO victims in Maharashtra were girls. Of the 8,639 POCSO cases registered in the state in 2023, 8,519 involved girls, while only 120 cases (1.39%) involved boys.
The numbers reveal not just the scale of abuse, but its sharp urban concentration. Maharashtra alone accounted for 38.58% of all POCSO cases registered in the state, with major cities emerging as key hotspots. Mumbai recorded 1,157 cases (13.39%), followed by Thane with 458 cases (5.30%) and Pune with 432 cases (5.00%). The top five districts together accounted for 32.19% of all POCSO cases, or 2,781 incidents, indicating a heavy clustering of offences in urban and peri-urban districts.
A Gendered Crime, a Societal Failure
Child rights advocates argue that the near-total domination of girls among POCSO victims exposes entrenched gender-based power imbalances rather than isolated criminal behaviour. Girls are often most vulnerable within familiar spaces—homes, schools and neighbourhoods—where abuse is frequently normalised, silenced or underreported.
“As Maharashtra continues to strengthen enforcement of the POCSO Act, it is important to note that mere legal action or punitive measures are not enough,” said Kreeanne Rabadi, Regional Director (West), CRY. “Protecting girls requires sustained investment in awareness-building, survivor support services, safe reporting mechanisms, and challenging the social attitudes that enable abuse.”
Experts warn that unchecked sexual violence against girls has cascading consequences, disrupting education, damaging physical and mental health, limiting economic participation and burdening already overstretched judicial systems. Communities, they say, lose future leaders, reinforcing cycles of poverty and inequality.
Call for Prevention, Not Just Prosecution
CRY has stressed the urgent need for fast-track special courts, improved survivor care, and greater public funding for safe spaces, school-based education programmes and community vigilance systems. Preventive strategies such as early warning mechanisms, gender-sensitive child protection structures and mass awareness campaigns remain critical gaps.
The data, advocates argue, must be read as a call to re-centre girls’ safety in public policy. “The figures are not merely crime statistics,” CRY noted. “They reflect systemic vulnerabilities faced by girls and demand that their dignity, safety and rights be placed at the heart of governance and public discourse.”
Interpreting the Numbers
The NCRB data are based on First Information Reports (FIRs) registered with the police. An increase in reported cases does not automatically indicate a rise in crime alone. Higher numbers may also reflect greater public awareness of child protection laws, improved trust in law enforcement, and better access to legal remedies. As such, the figures should be understood as indicators of both crime incidence and institutional responsiveness, rather than as a simple measure of prevalence.
Even so, the overwhelming share of girls among POCSO victims in Maharashtra sends an unambiguous message: sexual violence against children in India remains fundamentally a gendered crisis and addressing it requires transforming social mindsets, not just enforcing laws.
