While Mumbai is safe for women, the same cannot be said for children. According to statistics provided by the Mumbai Police last year, the city saw 1,066 cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012 (POCSO). The cases, which included rape, molestation, violence and eve-teasing, saw a 20 per cent jump compared to 2020. A March 2022 report in The Wire states that Maharashtra is the second state with high pendency of POCSO-related cases after Uttar Pradesh with 30,677 cases. A possible reason for Mumbai seeing a higher number of POCSO cases, according to advocate and former bureaucrat Abha Singh is the “large migrant and working population”. “Because of this, children are often left alone in the house or at the mercy of neighbours.” Moreover, the number of NGOs working for children are fewer and since they are not a vote bank, many leaders also do not raise their voice, she says.

To make it worse, a child-friendly POCSO court continues to elude the city. Child-friendly courts are separate courtrooms painted and decorated with toys, books and games to create an informal environment for child survivors to comfortably and safely give evidence.