Citation

Maity S. Int. J. Child Maltreat. 2022; 5(1): 155-180.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s42448-021-00104-7

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The sexual abuse of children is an under-reported offence in India. In reality, child sexual abuse has outreached to epidemic status. The present study aims to explore how much police efficiency and other social, economic and demographic factors influence child sexual abuse, registered under the "Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO)" Act, for Indian states and union territory. The study is entirely based on the latest available cross-sectional secondary data mainly compiled from National Crime Record Bureau, India, for 2018. The empirical analysis is facilitated by utilising "data envelopment analysis", "ordinary least square regression" and "quantile regression". The empirical results suggest that higher police efficiency helps in reducing reported POCSO incidences. The quantile regression analysis reveals a paradoxical result that a higher literacy rate enhances reported POCSO incidences. The children are found to be vulnerable to the crime committed by the known persons. This effect is found to be stronger in the upper quantile of depression than the median quantile. The study ends with suitable policy suggestions.

Language: en

Keywords

Data envelopment analysis; POCSO; Police efficiency; Quantile regression