Under the IPC (Indian Penal Code) : crime against women include -
- Murders
- Sexual Crimes
- Domestic Violence
- Abduction
- Homicide for Dowry
- Forced Child Marriage
- Rapes
- Acid Attack
- Eve teasing
- Torture
- Importation Of Young Girls; etc
The problem of gender-based violence is getting worst. NCRD also known as National Crime Record Bureau statistics show crime against women increased by 71%, nationwide since 2014. There has been a rise in the number of incidence of rape recorded too.
Legal experts point out that many rapes go unreported. due to family honor, many complaints files are withdrawn and in many cases the police does not give a fair hearing. Medical evidence is often unrecorded, making it easy to offenders to pass slot free under prevailing law. Outside of legal rooms it is not uncommon in India's interior villages and hamlets for local courts to advice the women to marry her rapists to preserve her honour and dignity in the society. In some cases, rape can be used to settle caste issues and local disputes.
Reforms Needed :
The Indian government has appointed a three-member panel of legal experts to review the rape laws. Delhi, the capital city has been called by many as the Rape capital of India.
The government has promised to step up and take vigilant and preventive measures including : night patrols, supervision and checks on public and private bus drivers and their assistants and banning of vehicles with tinted windows or curtains.
India's societal changes have been engineered by a women getting access to education and jobs. However on the ground regressive notions and crimes continues to halt women from getting out of their homes and join the workforce. This gory incident and the righteous outrage have laid bare the conditions of Indian women - rich and poor before the world's eyes.
"While our western sisters burned bras in the 1960's for equality, Indian women are now taking the streets to demand their right to walk freely without fear from men."
- says Shweta Andrew, a researcher based in Delhi.
