Hyderabad: The number of POCSO cases registered in Hyderabad reduced by 12 percent in 2023, while all other crimes saw an increase in the city.
The highest rise was observed in grave bodily crime cases, increasing from 368 in 2022 to 513 in 2023.
377 POCSO cases registered in Hyderabad
In the city, 377 POCSO cases were registered in 2023, whereas in 2022, it was 428.
Following are the trends of crimes in Hyderabad
| Crimes | Number of cases (in 2022) | Number of cases (in 2023) |
| Overall crime | 24220 | 24821 |
| IPC+SLL | 21759 | 22203 |
| All bodily crime | 2181 | 2537 |
| Grave bodily crime | 368 | 513 |
| Non grave bodily crime | 1813 | 2024 |
| All property crime | 3094 | 3361 |
| Grave property crime | 179 | 193 |
| Non grave property crime | 2915 | 3005 |
| Crime against women | 2484 | 2775 |
| Crime against children | 428 | 377 |
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What is the POCSO act?
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was enacted in 2012 to protect children aged below 18 years from various sexual offenses. Despite the enactment of the act, many cases of crimes against children were reported under the POCSO act in various parts of the country including Hyderabad.
Under the act, any person aged below 18 years, irrespective of gender, is considered a child. The act broadly classifies sexual offenses against the child into five categories:
- Penetrative sexual assault
- Aggregative penetrative sexual assault
- Sexual assault
- Aggregative sexual assault
- Sexual harassment
The sections of the act also apply to the accused who uses a child for pornographic purposes.
Apart from specifying the offenses, the act also provides a detailed procedure for reporting cases, recording the statement of the child, special courts, etc.
Though, POCSO cases in Hyderabad have declined, the city still saw 377 crimes against children in 2023.
