Page 198 - economic review

SOCIAL SERVICE170

1. Child Protection and Welfare

4.137 Child protection means to create a safety environment to all children from neglect, violence,
abuse and exploitation. Compared to other states, Kerala is much better in protecting children from
all kinds of ill-treatments and violence.

Child Marriage

4.138 Child marriage is a violation of child rights. According to UNICEF, child marriage has been
found to be on the rise in Kerala in recent years due to migration from the northern part of the country.

Child Abuse

4.139 The child abuse cases especially sexual abuse incidence of girl children are on the increase.
The children in difficult circumstance such as working children, children on the streets and children
in conflict with law face the worst forms of discrimination.

Crimes against children

4.140 Crimes against children continue to show an upward trend, with rising figures for kidnapping
and rape. As per the report published by the State Crime Records Bureau, the crimes against children
in the state has increased by 242 percent from 2008 to 2013.

Fig 4.6
Trends in crimes against children in Kerala (in numbers)

Source:Kerala State Crime Records Bureau

Girl Child

4.141 The girl child is the most vulnerable member of the society. In Kerala, the proportion of girl
child population in the age group 0 to 6 years to State’s total population decreased from 11.35
percent in 2001 to 9.36 percent in 2011. Discouraging the use of sex selection techniques, rewarding
the girl child and awareness creation are the interventions needed to promote girl child.

Kerala State Planning Board