Crime against women

Aribam Sanajaobi Devi *

Domestic violence against women is one of the most brutal consequences of the economic, social, political and cultural inequalities that exist between the sexes. In launching his new 2008 campaign, Unite to End Violence Against Women, UN Secretary-General Banki-moon observed that "at least one out of every three women is likely to be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime".

The problems which range from domestic violence to honour killings are perceived to be more serious in developing countries.

Crime against women consists a considerable percentage of the overall crime committed in the world today. And it is not as if only the deprived or the low society women are sexually and physically assaulted. Even the highly successful women are not free from the lusty sights and deeds of men.

The year 2008 turned out to be an unhappy one for women in Punjab and Haryana. Data provided by the Women's Commission of Punjab and Haryana, updated till Nov 2008, indicates a steep rise in crimes against women. In Punjab, atleast two cases of kidnapping and one of molestation were reported daily. Worse still is the fact that atleast 12 women committed suicide every month and as many were killed for dowry.

Over 32000 murders, 19000 rapes, 7500 dowry deaths and 36500 molestation cases are the violent crimes reported in India in 2006 against women released by the National Crime Records Bureau. While Madhya Pradesh is worst off among the States, the National Capital New Delhi continues to hold on to its reputation of being the most unsafe city in India.

Delhi Takes the top slot for crimes ranging from murders and rapes to dowry deaths and abduction. Instead of leading the way in talking crime, Delhi only seems to do worse year after year.

Rape is the fastest growing crime in the country today and as many as 18 women are assaulted in some form or the other every hour across India. Equally horrific are news reports of foreign tourists being sexually assaulted.

India's National Family Health Survey-III, carried out in 29 States during 2005-06, has found a substantial proportion of married women have been physically or sexually abused by their husbands at some time in their lives.

The survey indicates that nationwide, 37.2% of women experienced violence" after marriage. Bihar was found to be the most violent, with the abuse rate against married women being as high as 59%. It was followed by Madhya Pradesh (45.8%), Rajasthan (46.3%), Manipur (43.9%), Uttar Pradesh (42.4%), Tamil Nadu (41.9%) and West Bengal (40.3%).

South Africa has the highest rate of crimes against women. Incidentally, in South Africa and India, the number of diseases epidermic, and above all STDs are also very much prevalent. In fact, the dangerous sexually transmitted disease AIDS is having the majority of its victims in South Africa and India.

Besides AIDS there is also a swell of other STDs because of the widespread crime against women. It has been found that erectile dysfunction can attack men who are in the habit of having sex with multiple partners. So rape and sexual molestation not only harms the woman but also the man.

The only difference is that the man gets the diseases from his own doings and the woman becomes a victim for no fault of hers. Apart from the physical humiliation any woman who is raped also goes through a lot of physical and mental trauma. There is no medication that can reinstall a person's faith in oneself. But there are medications that can cure the physical bruises of rape and many of the STDs.

Growing incidents like a bike pulling up at college, bus stop and the man on the bike shouting loudly at a college girl, come with me—Rs 300/- for a night, a car loaded with men pulls out of a driveway of a market shouts at a woman—do you need a ride we will take you wherever you want and pay for it; the woman gets humiliated and outraged. It can leave a permanent psychological mark on a woman.

In India, every 51 minutes a woman is sexually harassed, every 21 mins 1 woman is molested. Eve-teasing is something that a woman has to content with everyday. Legislation has a part to play as in the Domestic Violence Bill in India which came into force in 2006 Legislation is also gradually being introduced in African countries where deep-rooted traditional accounts for the widespread practise of female genital mutilation (FGM) endangering perhaps as many as 3 million girls each year.

Trafficking of women for sex and other services is illegal an authorities are struggling to keep up with the combination of crime syndicates and poverty which drives the trade. Women suffer terribly in war zones, especially, those wars in the third world countries.

One of the most shameful failures of legislation relates to the practise of sex-selective abortional and female infanticide in India and China. Originally believed to be a characteristic of impoverished rural communities, recent disclosures suggest that over 10% of female pregnancies in middle class New Delhi are aborted. In China, 118 boys were born in 2005 for every 100 girls.

The Rwandan parliament is believed to have the highest representation of women in the world with 50%. The 2008 election for a Constituent Assembly in Nepal featured generous quotos for women candidates. Elen Johnson-Sirleaf Africa's first female president has been elected in Liberia, a country torn apart by conflict and corruption.

The sexual crimes against women are on the rise. The crimes are widely prevalent in every society though most of them remain unreported. An awareness must be created in the community to motivate the victims to report, also more and more reporting centres in community with NGO's or hospitals must be opened to overcome the fear and lack of faith in the law-enforcing agencies and also to open up more centres for counselling in the community, offices as well as in the hospitals.

Changing the outlook of the society is the best way. But it is a very long process. So young girls should take as much precautions as they can specially when they are moving along using a public transport or a two-wheeler eg dress, time.....

• Always have friends with you when you go to certain places.
• Install deadbolt lock at home and keep the windows locked.
• Always let someone know where you are going, when you expect to return, and with whom you are going.
• Park near street lights at night and always be aware of your surroundings and keep an eye on suspicious looking people.
• Also, when you are walking across a parking lot, keep your cell phone to your ear, even if you fake a conversation.
• Be careful if you use internet dating sites.