Child sex abuse cases double that of rape in Pune district

From the time the scheme was launched in October 2013 till July this year, a total of 167 cases of child sex abuse were registered under the scheme with the District’s Women and Child Development office.

As many as 167 cases of child sex abuse have been registered in Pune district in the last three years, which is almost twice the number of rape cases during the same period, according to data collated under the state government’s Manodhairya scheme that provides financial, medical and legal aid to rape and child abuse survivors.

From the time the scheme was launched in October 2013 till July this year, a total of 167 cases of child sex abuse were registered under the scheme with the District’s Women and Child Development office. “During the same period, a total of 91 FIRs were sent by the police regarding rape cases to our department,” District Women and Child Development officer Meenakshi Birajdar told The Indian Express.

Under the scheme, a sum of Rs 2-3 lakh is allocated by the state for each of the survivors of rape, child abuse and acid attacks. The survivors are entitled to receive not only medical treatment, but also legal aid, counselling and help for rehabilitation from the state government as part of the scheme.

“No cases of acid attacks have been registered with us under the Manodhairya scheme,” Birajdar said.

Of the 167 cases of child sex abuse, assistance was sanctioned in 143 cases and money given to 60 survivors. While 21 applications were rejected for lack of documents, three cases are pending. “We have to disburse funds to the remaining 83 survivors. However, in 63 cases, we are unable to locate the families as some of them have shifted to other places or changed their addresses,” Birajdar said.

Out of 91 rape cases, assistance has been sanctioned in 51 cases under the Manodhairya scheme. In 13 cases, applications for monetary assistance have been set aside while another 27 were rejected for lack of proper documents. “We have yet to disburse funds to 26 rape survivors. Again, the families are untraceable as they seem to have left their present location,” Birajdar said.

She conceded that the number of incidents against children below 18 years had increased. “Our protection officers are conducting weekly programmes in each tehsil,” she said.

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At Sassoon, 332 victims of sexual assault in last six months

At Sassoon General hospital, the largest government hospital in the state, a lot of referral cases are sent. Dr Ramesh Bhosale, in charge of the gynaecology department, said that in the last six months, there had been 332 victims of sexual assault, of whom 198 were less than 18 years of age.

“We have seen a spectrum of cases ranging from mild injuries to complete tear of the genital area,” Bhosale said.

Dr Dasmit Singh, paediatric surgeon at Sassoon, recalls operating on a six-month-old infant who had suffered a sexual assault. The number of boys being sodomised is also rising, he says.

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“One horrific case that we had treated was of a sexual assault on an eight-year-old boy from Chinchwad, where a sharp object had been used to rupture his anus by an unidentified man. There was a great deal of trauma as his rectum had literally hung out,” he pointed out. Surgical repair is a tough job and the mental trauma that the little child has to suffer requires several sessions of counselling, Singh says.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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