chennai at least one child was sexually abused in chennai every 48 hours in 2016 show the national crime records bureau data if conviction rate in the citys court this year is anything to go by most of the offenders in these cases could have gone scotfree data from the mahila court in chennai reveals that of the 27 pocso protection of children from sexual offences cases disposed of from january 1 to december 15 this year only nine ended in conviction one was quashed by the madras high court owing to lack of evidence while the remaining were acquitted after the victims turned hostile the conviction rate in the city at 33 is less than the national average of 353according to the ncrb data incidents of rape of children in 2016 in india increased by over 82 compared to 2015 tamil nadu with 1169 such cases was the fifth highest in the country in chennai seven out of every ten cases of child sexual abuse reported involved penetrative sexchild rights activists say these figures merely reflect the number of crimes registered by the police do not reveal the actual situation on the groundso factoring in the conviction rate does justice elude those who muster the courage to report and if yes why opinions are divided special public prosecutor gowri asokan said conviction rates are generally lower in cases where the victim and the accused were involved in a relationship at least 30 of the pocso cases we see relate to elopement especially in the 1518 years age group she said adding that the cases are initially filed under parental pressure if the child gowri said is 12 years and below it is automatically treated as rape even if the girl has given consent but in other cases we cant do anything if the child does not want to go ahead with the trial the person is acquitted she said victims lawyers say usually turn hostile when they are asked to depose in the court and narrate what happened in at least 5 of the 27 cases the victim appeared before the court but did not testify this is either because the victim and the accused reached a compromise outside court or the victim was married to someone else said advocate v kannadasan citing a similar instance with his client who was a victim the case had been pending for three years lawyers say families also back out as they are worried about people knowing and their daughters marital prospect being affected till december 15 75 pocso cases were pending before the mahila court in chennai even those who brave these fears find themselves facing other traumatic challenges that force them to take the exit route although there are separate entrances to the court complex that houses the mahila court the victims end up facing the perpetrator in the sole corridor leading to the court and the child deposition rooms the accused lawyers say are also acquitted when the children