End Child Sexual Abuse
Seven children every hour report a sexual crime against them, and 4 of them are reporting rape.
In 2022, 97% of child rape and aggravated child rape cases had perpetrators known to their victim.
1,861 children were registered as victims of online sexual abuse in India in 2022.
India has a total of 243,237 child sexual abuse (CSA) cases pending in its fast-track courts as of January 2023.
Just 24,801 cases were heard in 2022. Of the 268,038 total CSA cases that went to or were pending trial, only 8,909 (just 3% of the total) resulted in a conviction.
All of these figures relate to cases which were reported to the police, but child sexual abuse is well-known to be under-reported, usually due to the stigma attached or likely repercussions, particularly given the extremely high likelihood of perpetrators being known to victims.
Child sexual abuse (CSA), including online, is one of the worst forms of violence against children, viciously curtailing childhoods and usually resulting in long-term harm. In India, a variety of research undertaken in the past two decades suggests that the prevalence of child sexual abuse is disturbingly high, with reports consistently finding around half of children in these studies have endured sexual abuse of some sort. However, it remains a crime dramatically under-reported. Survivors, and their families if they become aware of the crime, are afraid of the stigma attached to sexual crimes and of the community reaction and response once knowledge of the crime becomes public. National crime data figures and research conducted among children demonstrate that the most violent sexual abuse crimes are highly likely to be committed by perpetrators known by the victim - usually family members or friends of the family. The fear of not being believed or of punishment can easily prevent children from speaking out about the crime.
In recent years, there has also been an increase in the number of reported cases of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and these have seen an exponential increase since the pandemic. CSAM includes images and videos of children being sexually abused, exploited or depicted in a sexual manner.
Our Strategy
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Access to Justice calculates an ‘overall’ conviction rate using the number of convictions against all cases pending trial in a given year, not just the cases that went to trial, as we believe all children awaiting justice for child sexual abuse crimes should be included. We aim to substantially increase the current 3% conviction rate to put an absolute halt on the impunity around this crime to stop the sexual abuse of children.
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End the long wait for justice by advocating for more and increased support for Fast Track Courts, with the ultimate aim of all cases being disposed of in the same year as they are presented for trial.
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Support children to become aware of their rights about their bodies and the crimes of child sexual abuse, to empower them to speak up when they are at risk or have been victims of the crime, and to provide them with ways to report the crime safely and without fear.
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Ensure every survivor of child sexual abuse has access to protection, legal support, and rehabilitation.
Our Actions
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Legal support to survivors so they feel empowered and safe to report the crimes committed against them and see the legal process through to the end.
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Mental health support and interventions, especially counseling, provided as part of every case.
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Training law enforcement officials and agencies to strengthen the state mechanisms to ensure time-bound prosecution against crime, identify incidents of abuse, track and monitor cases, provide evidence on suspects for investigation, and effectively protect children.
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Appointment and training of Support persons, based on the guidelines issued by the Government, to ensure that survivors and their families have access to all their rights under the law.
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Sensitizing children and communities to understand their rights about their bodies and the law on child sexual abuse by running awareness activities and campaigns.
Our Impact
1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024
19,676 Cases of child sexual abuse supported
1,645 Convictions
The rate of convictions against the total number of cases supported by Access to Justice partners in 2023-2024 is 8.36% - more than double the national rate in 2022.
Aditi's Story
I am Aditi, and I am from West Bengal. I am 16 and I study in Class 11 at school.
Every day on my way to school, a 22 year-old man called Ratan would harass me, and call me names. I would argue back at him, but he didn’t care. One evening on my way home, he attacked me: he grabbed me and forced me into a nearby, isolated mango grove. I shouted at him but he would not listen.
He tried to rape me. Eventually a neighbor found us and caught Ratan. The neighbor called the police and managed to hand Ratan over to the police. After the incident, I was very shocked. I faced so much pressure and so many social barriers; I was totally emotionally broken down. I felt very shy. I even stopped my schooling.
One day, a local partner from Access to Justice came to my home. They understood why my family and I felt shy, they understood that it is not our fault. I shared my feelings with them, and started the counseling process. My counselor called me regularly and gave me motivation to recover gradually.
They contacted my school too so I could return to class, and I passed the Higher Secondary exam with star marks.
Now, my case is in court and Access to Justice is fighting for me. I am continuing my studies. I want a bright future, so I can be part of the fight against violence towards women.
