Why is There a Propensity for Sexual Violence Against Women in India?
Rape is the most common crime in India and in 2022 one woman was raped every 20 minutes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed “I can feel this outrage” in cognisance of crimes against women as he addressed the nation marking India’s 78th Independence Day on August 15
The prime minister did not directly refer to the recent horrific brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old female postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Government Hospital, in Birbhum district on August 9, 2024 where her body was found inside a seminar hall in north Kolkata.
She was found bleeding from her eyes and mouth and had sustained injuries to her legs, stomach, ankles, her right hand and finger. The autopsy confirmed that prior to being murdered she was sexually abused.
A police volunteer was arrested and charged in regards with the crime however the victim's family have alleged that it was a gang rape.
Mr. Modi further stated in New Delhi on Thursday:
“As a society, we have to think about the atrocities being committed against our mothers, daughters and sisters. There is outrage against this in the country. I can feel this outrage”.
Countrywide protests including the location of the incident in Kolkata were held as outraged demonstrators marched as part of ‘Reclaim the Night’, calling for authorities to provide safe public spaces and work environments for women as thousands of medical personnel also walked out of some public hospitals across India.
Protests in New Delhi near parliament demanded accountability for the rape and murder of the trainee doctor.
Demonstrations continued on Friday August 16, requesting justice and safer security measures to be provided in hospitals and medical campuses.
Modi also stated in his address to the nation:
“Crimes against women should be investigated without any delay. Those committing such demonic acts must be booked prima facie to reinstate the trust in the government, judiciary, and civil society”.
He commented on how the perpetrators should be held accountable:
“Now the need of the hour is that there should be a wide discussion about the criminals who get punished so that even those who commit such sins fear the consequences including hanging to death. I feel that it is very important to create this fear”.
Despite Modi saying all the right things, what action is there behind these words? As such deplorable acts continue to recur with the repeat cycle of nationwide displays of outrage, angry protests and demands for justice and change but the status quo remains.
Research has found that India is globally one of the most dangerous countries for sexual violence perpetrated against women.
Rape is the most common crime as according to data from India's National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), on average nearly 90 rapes a day were reported in India in 2022, with one woman raped every 20 minutes. Police recorded 31,516 rape cases in 2022, which surged 20 per cent from 2021.
The statistics for rape are likely to be considerably higher as these types of crimes may be unreported due to fear, stigma and mishandled police investigations.
Earlier this year in March the gang-rape of a Spanish tourist was reported in the eastern state of Jharkhand where a 28-year-old and her husband were attacked in the Dumka district.
In 2012 in Munirka, a neighbourhood in South Dehli, the commonly known Nirbhaya Dehli gang rape case involved the rape and murder of Jyoti Singh, a 22-year-old physiotherapy intern who was travelling with her male friend on a private bus.
She was gang raped and tortured, whilst her friend was beaten by the perpetrators and both were thrown naked onto the roadside and left to die. The young woman died from her injuries two weeks later.
Four of the adult perpetrators were sentenced to death by hanging and were executed in 2020.
The case sparked public outcry nationally and abroad with the protests leading to some change as with the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, which in 2013 was promulgated by then President Pranab Mukherjee. The ordinance provides for the death penalty in rape cases.
However critics argued that the criminalisation of marital rape is still not outlawed and nor is holding military personnel to account for sexual offences.
Significantly it was found that despite the changes in law, Delhi saw a notable rise in rapes and the number of reported rapes doubled from 143 in the period between January and March 2012 and three months after the Dehli gang rape to 359 reported cases.
Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt used her social media platform which has more than 85 million followers to highlight the Kolkata case. She wrote on her post:
“Another brutal rape. Another day of realization that women are not safe, anywhere. Another horrific atrocity to remind us that it's been over a decade since the Nirbhaya tragedy, but still nothing much has changed.”
She added how:
“This horrific incident has once again reminded us that women disproportionately bear the weight of ensuring their own safety”.
Bhatt went on to emphasize that the “FOCUS” should be on “the safety of women” by providing safe spaces and to “FOCUS on the why” as “there is something fundamentally wrong with the way our society currently functions”. Essentially women should not be told to “change their path” but rather “change the terrain” as each woman “deserves better”.
On Saturday August 17 medical workers in India staged a nationwide strike beginning at 6am local time, with more than one million doctors expected to strike in protest.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) stated that Saturday’s strike was demanded by the nation’s largest group of doctors and all non-essential services would be paralyzed for 24 hours around the country.
Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, which includes Kolkata, is supporting the protests covering the state, calling for the investigation to be expedited and punishment for the guilty to be firm.
