Delhi recorded 927 incidents of rape cases against children last year, and at least three case of rape took place ever day in 2015, according to recently released data from the National Crimes Record Bureau.
Out of the 927 cases, 585 were below the age of 16, and 95 percent of children were assaulted by people known to them, The Times of India reported today.
In a vast majority of child rape cases, culprits act on impulse, psychiatrist Avdesh Sharma told TOI. "We have noticed that the accused are people close to the victim, who feel reassured that the proximity to the victims will keep them from reporting the matter. This is a dangerous trend," he said.
While the 2015 figures are startling, activists and the police that these cases are just the tip of the iceberg, with many other instances of sexual abuse against children either not coming to the fore or simply being ignored.
Experts point out that cases of sexual abuse go unreported because children, especially younger children, can find it hard to call out inappropriate touching, and even if they feel uncomfortable, the young ones hesitate to inform their parents. There are also cases in which the parents try to hide the problem instead of confronting it.
In a shocking episode on Friday, an 11-month-old baby was raped for two hours in west Delhi by a 36-year-old construction worker. The baby is in the Intensive Care Unit of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and her condition is serious.
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