THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 3,549 cases have been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, (Pocso Act) in the state from January 1 till December 31 last year. This number marks a significant increase when compared to the previous year, when only 3,019 cases were registered.
Of the 2021 figures, the highest number of cases were registered in Malappuram (457), followed by Thiruvananthapuram rural (318) and Palakkad (251). The least number of cases were registered in Kannur city (93), Kannur rural (97) and Ernakulam city (110), as per the statistics of the state police. Over the years, there has been a significant rise in the number of cases being registered under the Pocso Act in the state, since 2016. While in 2016, the number was 2,122, it increased to 2,697 in 2017, 3,180 in 2018 and 3,609 in 2019. In 2020, apparently due to the Covid-19 related lockdown, the number had dropped to 3,019. But in 2021, the number once again registered a significant increase.
