It is the highest since 2008 as per figures released by the Kerala police

According to statistics on crime against children released by the State police on Thursday, rape cases involving 637 minors were registered in the State in 2013. The figure is the highest since 2008 and also shows that incidents of minors becoming victims of rape have been steadily increasing.

As per the data, during the first three months of this year, 184 rape cases involving minors were reported. The figure for 2012 was 455, 423 in 2011, 208 in 2010, 235 in 2009 and 215 in 2008. A total of 1,877 cases of crime against children were registered in the State last year.

Forty children were murdered in the State in 2013. One case of foeticide was also registered. A total of 136 cases of kidnap or abduction of children and nine cases of abetment for suicide of minors were also registered.

The statistics shows that 11 minor girls were married away last year in the State and cases under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act were registered in this connection. During the first three months of this year, five such cases were reported and registered.

A separate statistics on crime against women for last year, also released on Thursday, shows that rape cases involving 1,221 women were registered in the year. For the first three months of this year, the figure had touched 335 and 1,019 cases were registered in the State in 2012.

Twenty-one dowry deaths were reported in the State last year. The number of molestation cases in the State registered by the police last year was 4,362. During the first three months of this year, 1,255 molestation cases were registered and 4,820 cases of abuse by husband or his relatives were also registered.