When childhood feels unsafe: POCSO cases in A.P.’s Rayalseema

For a child, danger may not always arrive wearing a stranger’s face. It can come disguised as friendship, affection, a familiar voice or a promise of something as simple as an ice cream. In Rayalaseema , several POCSO cases reveal how children are often drawn into situations they neither understand nor know how to escape. Some stories end with swift arrests and convictions; others surface only after fear, silence or a sudden change in behaviour raises an alarm.

Behind the case numbers are children forced to navigate trauma, investigation, medical examinations and court proceedings, often long after the crime. As police records show mixed trends in POCSO cases across the region, the bigger question is not merely whether crimes are increasing or declining, but whether children are being heard early enough — and whether the system can respond before a warning sign becomes a tragedy.