The increasing number of crimes against women and children in Jammu and Kashmir is a cause of serious concern.
According to a report by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), released recently, crimes against women in J&K recorded an increase of 15.62 percent in 2021 compared to the preceding year.
The conviction rate has remained low. Crimes against children have also reported a jump of 39.4 percent in 2021, the NCRB data said. The report said crimes against women marked a steady rise from 2019 to 2021. NCRB has mentioned about the cases, which were registered.
There are a number of crimes, which are not reported by the victims or their families to concerned agencies. Such incidents go unreported and are not counted anywhere. Going by the data of NCRB, the scenario is not good.
The society as a whole and the concerned government departments dealing with such crimes have to gear up to put an end to such crimes. The conviction rate remaining low presents a grim picture.
The cases related to crime against women and children should be speedily and seriously investigated so that there are more convictions and others desist from committing such crimes.
NCRB report said that 315 cases of rape, 1,414 incidents of attempt to rape and 14 dowry deaths were lodged in 2021 in Jammu and Kashmir.
The other cases include stalking, cruelty by husband or his relatives, acid attacks, and abduction of women.
Women-centric cyber-crimes such as publishing or transmitting explicit material and blackmailing or morphing/fake profiles were also registered. As per data, seven cases of murder of children, four cases of infanticide and three cases of foeticide were reported in J&K last year.
There is still a general view in our society that women and children are safe here. This may be also because of the reason that the crime rate is higher outside J&K.
The crime graph has started going up here also affecting common people. The NCRB report is a warning.
The things can worsen if immediate remedial measures are not taken. Both the concerned government departments and the society have to act fast; before it is too late.