New Delhi: India has seen a 94 per cent increase in reported sexual offences against children under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, rising from 33,210 cases in 2017 to 64,469 in 2022, according to the latest Into the Light Index 2025 report by the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute.

Despite the rise, the country's prosecution rate remains above 90 per cent, reflecting strengthened enforcement and reporting mechanisms.

The report, launched this week by the University of Edinburgh and the University of New South Wales, highlighted that around one in eight children in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka experience sexual assault or rape before turning 18, affecting nearly 54 million children across the three countries. In 2024, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan accounted for the bulk of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) reports in South Asia, with India logging 2.25 million cases to global monitors. Notably, India has the lowest CSAM availability rate in the region, at 15.5 reports per 10,000 people, reflecting strong detection and reporting systems.

The report also warned of a surge in AI-generated CSAM, which rose 1,325 per cent between 2023 and 2024, and flagged challenges posed by technology companies' decisions, including end-to-end encryption without safeguards, which make detection and prevention harder.

Paul Stanfield, CEO of Childlight and former Interpol director, called for urgent global action, urging nations to treat child sexual exploitation and abuse as a public health emergency, emphasizing that with sufficient will, the crisis is preventable.

“Behind every statistic is a child whose safety, dignity and future have been stolen. Children can't wait — the time to act is now,” Stanfield said.