KOCHI: A crime is being committed against a child once in three days in Ernakulam city if one were to go by the number of crimes registered in police stations in the past one year.The crimes include rape, molestation, kidnapping, abduction, physical violence and child labour. Activists and police officials working in the field said rape and molestation still account for the maximum number of cases registered. They also said the number of boy victims has been increasing.The total number of crimes has more than doubled in the last five years from 63 in 2013 to 139 in 2017 in the Ernakulam city police limits while it has increased by 80% in the Ernakulam rural police district.Childline activists said there has been an increase in cases of corporal punishment and child sexual abuse in 2016-17. They intervened in more than 90 cases while their total number of interventions crossed thousand in complaints ranging from child sexual abuse to physical abuse and verbal abuse. About 27 cases of corporal punishment were reported to Childline. They received more than 300 requests for emotional support and guidance.Kochi city police said across the society, irrespective of the economic status, children have been falling prey due to the impact of family issues and broken marriages. “They go in search of security and love and anybody showing a slight sympathy is welcome. This is becoming so common among boys as well,” said Kalamassery circle inspector, C I Jayakrishnan.“Very often, when we sit with the children and start talking to them, the problems at home become very clear. Then, we give them access to counsellors asking them to make the families understand the problem,” he added.“We have been getting lots of complaints of physical violence against children and that is very disturbing. Yet another cause for concern has been the growing number of children found working in hotels. I think people should start alerting us or the police when they see kids working in hotels. The other day we rescued a child who was just 13 and working in a hotel all day. We found another child whose Aadhar showed him as 19 but he couldn’t be a day older than 14,” said Nirish, Childline, Kochi.Ironically, the number of cases registered in crimes against children in Ernakulam rural district had come down in 2017 to 200 when compared to the previous year. However, the city’s crime graph continues to skyrocket from 83 in 2016 to 91in 2017.