Maharashtra has been grappling with women's safety issues as 10% of women and girls who go missing fail to return home. Devendra Fadnavis, the state's deputy chief minister and home minister, expressed deep concern about the situation in the legislative assembly on Wednesday, August 2.
“Women’s safety is a cause of concern for the country. In Maharashtra, around 64,000 girls and women go missing every year, and during COVID-19 in 2019 and 2020, the number was the same. In 2021, 61,000 cases were registered. 87% of them have returned home, while in 2022, 86% of the missing girls and women will have returned. 63% of them have returned so far in the current year,” he said.
The state ranks third in the country when it comes to cases involving women, but surprisingly, it stands in 12th place when compared to its population. The average cycle for the return is approximately two years. Maharashtra's 10% untraced women surpass the national average.
To combat crimes against women, Maharashtra is actively working on establishing an integrated platform that aims to address cybercrime effectively. The state has 43 specialised cyber intelligence units to tackle the growing threat.
Additionally, there are 86 fast-track courts and 27 special courts dedicated to handling women's issues, while 138 special courts specifically focus on POCSO and child-related cases.
In comparison, the state performs exceptionally well in finding missing children, with 96% of them eventually being located. “The percentage of return of the children that went missing in 2021, 2022, and 2023 is 96, 91, and 71%, respectively. The percentage of cases registered under the POCSO Act is just 17.2%, compared to 70% in some of the states,” he said.
Furthermore, there is a rising concern about sexual assaults, with cases increasing by 4.71% due to aggressive registration and encouraging victims to come forward.
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