New Delhi leads in incidents of rapes, in 2014.
By Dileep Thekkethil
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The National Crime Records Bureau of India (NCRB) has released a new report that reveals 90% of the total rape incidents that happened in 2014 were committed by people who knew the victims as relatives, neighbors and employers.
The annual report of NCRB says a total of 3,37,922 cases of sexual violence against women were reported in India, in 2014.
The report also acknowledges that there was an increase of 9% in violence against women such as rape, molestation, abduction and cruelty by husbands, when compared to 2013.
The number of rape attempts on women also increased by 9%, taking it up to 33,707 cases in 2014. Causing shame to the Delhi Police, the report says 1,813 rape cases were reported from the capital city, the highest number registered in the country. Mumbai and Bengaluru recorded 607 and 103 rape cases, respectively.
The data reveals that 86% of rape cases recorded had been committed by close relatives like uncles, brothers and even fathers. Rapes were also committed by neighbors, employers, co-workers and friends of victims, says the NCRB report.
Out of the 33,707 rape cases, 14,102, which is close to 38% of rapes were attempted on minor girls who are below the age of 18.
Ranjana Kumari, director of a Delhi-based women’s rights organisation Centre for Social Research, was quoted by Reuters, saying, “Across the world, it’s well known that stranger rape is not really the problem, and the majority of rapes are committed by people known to the victims.”
She added: “We need to tackle the problem at all fronts. It’s not just about better policing, safer public spaces and transport. This data compels us to look at what is happening in and around our homes and workplaces.”
Women in India face various problems in the country ranging from female foeticide, child marriage, domestic violence, dowry killings and rape. One of the reasons for the unabated violence against women in India is due to the patriarchal attitude that looks down upon women.
A series of protests was organized nationwide by concerned citizens after a college girl was brutally gang-raped and killed in December 2012, in Delhi. The Delhi Police have since been saying that they have adopted measures to curb such incidents, but the new data reveals that these measures haven’t been successful in bringing down the number of rape incidents.
The government has enforced stringent laws against rapists in recent times. The inclusion of death sentence for rapists, criminalizing, stalking and voyeurism, and making acid attacks and human trafficking are some of the stiffer mechanisms adopted by the government to bring down violence against women. Adding to this, many NGOs and government bodies have started awareness programs highlighting women’s rights and sensitizing them to register a complaint against abusers.