Crime Against Women in India: A Realistic and Rational Approach

Nirbhaya, Unnao, Hathras, and Unnao again - these have become shorthand references to crimes of rape and murder committed against girls and women in India. Cases of violence against women are steadily increasing in the country. The data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reveals that a total of 4, 05,861 cases of crimes against women were registered during 2019 of which most cases under crime against women were registered under ‘Cruelty by Husband or His Relatives’, followed by ‘Assault on Women with Intent to Outrage her Modesty’, ‘Kidnapping & Abduction of Women’ and ‘Rape’. But these data may not really represent the actual picture as so many crimes against women go unreported. The local news pages of newspapers and the social media have a different story to reveal as they are flooded with real picture of crime against women prevailing in our society today.

In Hinduism, man and woman represent the two halves of the divine body. Yet the customs and values are favouring men and women eternally suffer this discrimination in silence. The Risk factors attributing to violence against Women are: Psychiatric Morbidity, High consumption of alcohol by the men, Socio-demographic factors like Patriarchy, Family environment with cruelty on women, Married women with Triple Tragedy of the female status, fear psychosis and separated / divorced status, Socio- cultural factors like stereotyped gender roles and dowry over the ages, Modern life style of living, rapid technological advances and availability of pornographic material, Elements of insensitivity, inefficiency, corruption and heavily worked and under staffed judicial system and law enforcement machinery and Weaker, decayed social fabric with diminishing respect for women.

National Initiatives to Curb the Gender Violence.
Setting up National Commission for Women (1992), Reservation to women in local self government (73rd Constitutional Amendment Acts 1992), The National Plan of Action for the Girl Child (1991-2000), “National Policy for the Empowerment of Women” (2001) and National Mission for Empowerment of Women (2010) are the major women friendly initiatives of our central governments.

The Other Side.  Since the new amendment to the rape law in 2013, the threat of false rape cases on one pretext or the other is increasing. This fact is evident from the study of court judgments of fast track courts constituted across the country and media reports. The judiciary is well aware of the possible misuse of Section 498A (Women cruelty).A conviction of a 45-year-old woman for turning hostile after filing a false case of gang-rape of her ‘minor’ daughter by three people invoking IPC Section 193 (punishment for false evidence) and rise in such cases seen across the country strengthens the argument for government to bring about modifications in the law that are gender-neutral and tightens handcuffs against harassment.

WAY FORWARD
We as a society have failed to give woman her just place in our lives and men haven’t acknowledged her strength, capabilities and ability to work together. A caring attitude towards a girl chid in a home is still taken as a favour to her whereas it’s seen as a right for male child. This is where the change has to begin. The next step is gender sensitization by parents and teachers regarding the sensitivities and boundaries of man - woman relationships. In most educational institutions the lines of associations are drawn on gender basis, be it classes, play grounds or extracurricular activities the gender differentiation is clearly visible.

The root cause analysis of the crime against women needs to be done by the government crime prevention units and well defined processes have to be put in place. There is need to improve the investigative infrastructure and strengthening the police system where we can have a security grid system covering the potential risk areas (crime against women) and earmarking social volunteers to prevent and report the crime to police ASAP. Active involvement of Police with motto of good policing and prevention instead of punishment. A real time communication network with desirable mobility to police will make a remarkable difference in reducing the crime against women.

The legislation done for enhanced punishment for violence perpetrated against women and at the same time suitable modifications in the law to make them genderneutral and save avoidable harassment from either sex. There is a need have awareness programs such as road shows, posters, street plays, wall paintings with an aim to reduce the cases of gender inequality. Women will be cautious towards their legal rights through legal awareness camps which will help in eliminating violence against women. At the same time we need to groom moral and religious values in our children and strengthen marriage system. Efficient and accountable law enforcement machinery at all levels (administration, government, police and judiciary) and a fully aware and gender equality appreciative society is a prerequisite for a crime free society.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

COL RAJESH BHUKAR The author has been Head Security Rajasthan Operations of Cairn Energy and DGM HR in Jindal Saw Ltd - [email protected]