Datanomics: India's struggle to tackle internet child abuse cases continues

In a recent investigation by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), it was alleged that Instagram has been running paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in India. Data from the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) shows that India has consistently recorded some of the highest numbers of CSAM cases worldwide. These cases — filed by individuals on the NCMEC website — cover photos, videos, livestreams, or AI-generated deepfakes depicting minors in sexually explicit conduct or abuse. India’s CSAM reports rose sharply from 1.99 million in 2019 to 8.92 million in 2023, before declining to 1.93 million in 2025. India held the top global position during this period until 2024, after which it slipped to second place behind the US. The country’s share of global CSAM reports increased from 11.7 per cent in 2019 to a peak of 25 per cent in 2023, but dropped to 11 per cent in 2024 and further to 8 per cent in 2025. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), a similar category, albeit depicting only women, is also on the rise. Cases registered under “publishing or transmitting sexually explicit material” of women rose from 1,158 in 2019 to 2,511 in 2024. However, more than 94 per cent of these cases remain pending in Indian courts, highlighting the challenges in prosecuting such offences.