Beti Bachao
The young woman who accused a BJP legislator in Uttar Pradesh of rape
and was critically injured in a car ‘accident’ has been moved to AIIMS,
Delhi, on the orders of the Supreme Court, which also directed that all
cases related to the Unnao rape be moved to Delhi and trials completed
within 45 days of the CBI completing its time-bound investigation. The
grisly circumstances surrounding the young woman’s rape, the physical
intimidation and suspicious deaths of her family members prompted
a UP schoolgirl to ask a senior state police officer, during a school
visit, how they could guarantee her safety should she be the victim of
“someone powerful”. The statistics are not reassuring. Data from the
National Crime Records Bureau for 2017 and 2018 has been delayed, for
unspecified reasons, but the 2016 numbers show a substantial rise in
crimes against women but a significant decrease in convictions.
INDEX83%
24,212 25
14.5%
rise in crimes
against women
between 2007
and 2016, says
NCRB; 338,
cases reported
in 2016FIRs relating to child rape filed
between Jan. 1 and June 30,
2019, says SC; Trial begun
in 6,449 cases (26.6%), 911
(3.8%) resolvedin MP given death sentence
since May 2018, when max.
punishment for “aggravated
penetrative sexual assault” of
childrenwas amended39
crimes against
women per hour
in India (2016), up
from 21 (2007);
55.2 crimes per
100,000 women in
2016, 41.7 in 201236.7%
of “ever-married”
women in UP
have experienced
spousal violence,
says National
Family Health
Survey 4 (2015-16)5.4%
women (15-
years) say their
husbands have
used physicalforce
to have sexual
intercourse against
their will (NFHS4)38,
rapes reported
in India in 2016,
up from 36,
(2014); 26.6%
convictions in
2016, lower than
in 2014 (34.5%)22%
Indian women
experienced
physical violence
only; 1% sexual
violence only; 5%
both; only 14%
seek helpof crimes against women
in 2016 recorded in UP,
12.4% of rapes; 99.1%
of cases of sexual
violence against women
in UP estimated to go
unreportedIllustration by TANMOY CHAKRABORTY