Civil society demands consolidated data on crime against children

New Delhi, Jan 24 (UNI) With the Nithari killings shocking the entire nation, several child rights activists, members of society and Government officials today held a consultative meeting to understand the exact magnitude of crime against children in India and develop measures to address it.

The participants stressed the need for preparing a consolidated data on the number of missing children in India.

They demanded to broadbase the field of research by compiling reports that carefully document unreported crimes as well.

''The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is supposed to be the central authority for compiling data...the reporting is no where near reality,'' Centre for Social Research Director Dr Ranjana Kumari said.

According to NCRB there is no separate classification of offences against children, she pointed out.

''Generally, the offences committed against children or the crimes in which children are the victims are considered as Crime against Children,'' she said.

''The cases in which the children are victimised and abused can be categorised under two broad sections: Crimes committed against Children which are punishable under Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Crimes committed against Children which are punishable under Special and Local Laws (SLL),'' Dr Kumari said.

Other speakers included Mr Sanker Sen from the Institute of Social Sciences, India Alliance for Child Rights Convenor Razia Ismail Abbasi, Ms Nandita Mishra, Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Prof Kiran Walia, Lawyer Aatreyee Sen and Ms Tenzing Choesang, Research and Advocacy Officer, Lawyers Collective.

According to NCRB, a total of 1,327 cases of murder of children were reported in the country in 2005 against 1,304 cases in 2004, an increase of 1.8 per cent.

UNI