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Crimes against women in India recorded a marginal decline in 2024, with 4.41 lakh cases reported — a 1.5 per cent drop from the previous year, according to data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on Wednesday, May 6. The crime rate per lakh women fell from 66.2 to 64.6. While crimes against women saw a slight dip, crimes against children went up from 1,62,449 in 2022 to 1,77,335 in 2023, and further to 1,87,702 in 2024.
States registered 4,23,759 cases in 2024, down by 6,405 from the 4,30,164 recorded in 2023, and 2,674 fewer than the 4,26,433 cases registered in 2022. Union Territories reported 17,775 cases — a decrease of 272 from 2023's 18,047, and 1,048 fewer than the 18,823 cases registered in 2022.
Uttar Pradesh continued to top the list with 66,398 cases — higher than both its 2024 figure of 65,743 and its 2023 count of 66,381. At the other end, Nagaland reported just 56 cases, the lowest in the country. Among Union Territories, Delhi accounted for the bulk with 13,396 cases, while Lakshadweep reported just 13.
Within the overall figures, the largest share of cases fell under cruelty by husband or his relatives, which accounted for 14,376 cases or 28.4 per cent of all crimes against women. Kidnapping and abduction of women was the second most reported category, with 10,142 cases, making up 20.1 per cent of the total.
Southern states
Among southern states, Telangana reported the highest number of crimes against women at 24,495, up from 23,678 in 2023 and 22,066 in 2022. Tamil Nadu saw a sharper rise — 11,363 cases in 2024, compared to 8,943 in 2023 and 9,207 in 2022. Andhra Pradesh recorded 19,952 cases, Karnataka 19,945, and Kerala 15,037.
Rape cases
A total of 29,536 rape cases were registered across India in 2024 — 28,091 in states and 1,445 in Union Territories. Rajasthan reported the highest number among states at 4,871, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 3,209. Sikkim had the lowest at 7. In Union Territories, Delhi accounted for 1,058 cases while Ladakh recorded just one.
In southern India, Telangana led with 1,148 rape cases, followed by Kerala with 940, Karnataka with 671, Andhra Pradesh with 441, and Tamil Nadu with 419.
Of the total rape cases, survivors were aged 18 or above in 28,752 instances. In 784 cases, the survivor was below 18. The same year saw 784 cases of murder following rape or gang rape — Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest among states with 275 cases, and Chandigarh led among Union Territories with 47.
Assault on women with intent to outrage modesty accounted for 48,303 cases nationally, of which 382 survivors were minors. Sexual harassment cases stood at 15,346, with 263 of those involving minor girls. Stalking cases numbered 9,865.
Dowry deaths
Dowry deaths remained a grim reality, with 5,737 cases reported in 2024 — 5,618 in states and 119 in Union Territories. Uttar Pradesh again topped the list with 2,038 deaths. Among southern states, Telangana recorded the highest at 144, followed by Karnataka with 112, Andhra Pradesh with 71, Tamil Nadu with 7, and Kerala with just 1. Cases of cruelty by husbands or their relatives numbered 1,20,227 nationally.
Crimes against children
Crimes against children have risen sharply. It climbed from 1,62,449 in 2022 to 1,77,335 in 2023, and further to 1,87,702 in 2024 — an increase of 10,367 cases over the previous year. Maharashtra reported the highest number among states with 24,171 cases, closely followed by Uttar Pradesh with 22,222. Among Union Territories, Delhi recorded the highest at 7,662.
In southern India, Tamil Nadu led with 10,046 cases, followed by Karnataka with 9,568, Telangana with 6,767, Kerala with 5,929, and Andhra Pradesh with 2,633.