Mumbai: According to the 2018-19 data from Childline, a nationwide phone emergency outreach service for children in distress, Kerala topped with highets number of child sexual abuse complaints (1,742). The other two states followed by Kerala are Tamil Nadu (985) and Maharashtra (443).
Childline “1098” covers 522 districts and 100 railway stations with the backing of Union ministry of women and child development.
Child sexual abuse complaints were reported from five districts of Kerala – Malappuram, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Ernakulam and Kollam.
Of the 7,684 child sexual abusers reported to Childline nationwide, 35 per cent of them were neighbours. Family, friends, neighbours, relatives, teachers, step-parents, caretakers and employers together constitute 73 per cent of child sex abusers.
