The 2018 Crime in India report was released by the NCRB recently. A total of 3.78 lakh crimes against women were reported in 2018 with crime rate touching an all-time high of 59 crimes per lakh women. Within threemonths of releasing the 2017 report, National Crime Records Bureau released the ‘Crime in India (CII)’ report for 2018 alongwith three other reports- ‘Prison Statistics 2018’ and ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India’, 2017 and 2018.The 2017 CII report was released after a long delay of 22 months. In 2017, thereport was modified to incorporate the evolving crimes. The 2018 edition of the crimes report has includednotes stating that reporting mechanism for some offences in certainstates/cities have been made easier because of which more cases may have beenreported in these places. Thus, NCRB says statistical comparison is notfeasible. Section on ‘Word of Caution’ introduced in 2018 report Unlike in theprevious editions, the latest report has also included a ‘Word of Caution’ section in which thefollowing disclaimers have been made: Overall Crime rate has declined but rate of crimes against Women has increased Installation of women help-desks in police stations to encourage more women to register complaints without any hesitation has also been highlighted in the 2018 report. The overall crime rate in 2018 dropped to 383 crimes per lakh population from 389 in 2017. However, the rate of crimes against women has witnessed an increase from 57.9 in 2017 to 58.8 per lakh women in 2018. More than 3.78 lakh cases of crimes against women reported in 2018 Whether in the mother’s womb or in the world outside, the safety of women has always remained a topic of debate in the country. In 2018 alone, NCRB data reveals that more than 3.78 lakh cases of crimes against women have been registered in India. In other words, every hour, at least 43 crimes against women are reported across the country. The number of cases reported of crimes against women is on the rise, as is evident from the chart. This increase is more prominent in the immediate aftermath (2012 & 2013) the Nirbhaya incident in Delhi. This increase in the number could be because of more women coming forward to report crimes and police, in turn, registering these cases. The increase in the actual number of crimes against women also cannot be ruled out. Uttar Pradesh continues to report largest number of crimes against women Uttar Pradesh continuesto report the greatest number of registered crimes against women in 2018,constituting 15.7% of the total. This is understandable because of the higherpopulation in UP. Only Uttar Pradeshhas reported more than 50,000 crimes against women in 2018. Maharashtra andWest Bengal have reported more than 30,000 crimes each. The ten statesdisplayed in the chart alone contribute to 74% of the number of cases reportedin 2018. Crime rate touches an all-time high However, thescenario varies if the crime rate is taken into consideration. In the year2018, 59 cases of crime were reported for every lakh women population. Thecrime rate has increased from around 42 in 2012 to 59 in 2018. The crime rateof 59 per lakh women in 2018 is the highest ever. It has to be noted that the femalepopulation has been estimated on the basis of 2011 census data. Assam has the overtaken Delhi in Crime Rate In terms of thecrime rate, Assam has reported the highest – 166 crimes per one lakh women. Thisis 2.85 times the national average of 59. Delhi follows Assam with almost 150 crimes perone lakh women. While Assam and Delhi continue to consistently report more than100 crimes per lakh women, Haryana has also reported a crime rate of more than100 in 2018. 27.3% of crimes are under Section 498A- Cruelty by husband and his relatives A closer look at the types of crime reveals that 27.3% ofthe crimes against women are related to ‘cruelty by husband and relatives’covered under Section 498A, popularly known as domestic violence. Assaultaccounts for the next highest crime head following by Kidnapping. These two accountfor 42.7% of the crimes against women. Including rape cases, the four IPCcrimes alone constitute 79% of the cases of crime against women. SLL (Special &Local Laws) crimes amount to 15% of the total crimes. The most prominent arethe cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences(POCSO) Act, 2012. A total of 38,802 cases on offences against girls under theage of 18 years have been reported under this Act. Gruesome cases ofrape and murder of Dalit women, Nirbhaya case in Delhi, Disha gang-rape case inTelangana and Unnao rape case in Uttar Pradesh, continue to make headlinesevery year. After more than 7 years of the Nirbhaya incident, the convicts areset to be executed on 22 January 2020.