Sexual abuse of boys: 62 POCSO cases recorded in Telangana in nine months
Officials say several cases remain unreported as families fear stigma and loss of ‘family prestige’; 127 male child victims recorded since 2024
A four-year-old boy from Chandanagar reported his school’s security guard had sexually assaulted him, leading to a conviction in July this year. Another 10-year-old disclosed repeated sexual abuse by a neighbour-cum-relative after experiencing pain and bleeding, resulting in a 25-year sentence in April. These two cases marked the first convictions under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in 2026, accounting for 62 male child victims recorded between January and September.
This surpasses the total number of victims for all of 2025. Hyderabad hosted 24 of these cases, followed by Khammam with 13. Mahabubabad recorded the most victims in the first nine months of 2026, with nine cases. Families often hesitate to report sexual abuse due to stigma and concerns over family prestige, and boys themselves may fear speaking out, particularly when the perpetrator is a trusted individual.
Despite this, officials attribute the rise in recorded cases to increased awareness and identification, rather than a corresponding increase in sexual assault incidents.
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