Bhubaneswar: Crimes against women in India have seen a continuous rise in the last two to three years according to National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data. These crimes range from rape, torture and assault to various forms of domestic violence. In majority of the cases, women suffer at the hands of their husbands and other family members. However, outsiders are also involved on many occasions in harming women.
As per the NCRB report approximately 4,15,861 criminal offences have been reported against women 2019. The numbers may be more as many women are apprehensive of filing a case against their near and dear ones. In 2018 the figure was 3,78,246 while in 2017 it was 3,59,849. So in spite of massive awareness campaigns aimed to stop violence against women, the numbers have only gone up. The numbers have not gone down in any way. At an average 17.9 per cent of crimes committed against women fall in the category of kidnapping and rape.
Uttar Pradesh with 14.7 per cent of the total cases in India tops the list of states in crimes committed against women. It is followed by Rajasthan (10.2%) and Maharashtra (9.2%).
The Hathras gang-rape case in Uttar Pradesh is a stark reminder of the how cruel men have been towards women. Thousands of awareness campaigns have been conducted to prevent rape. Similarly social media posts condemning such acts have increased continuously. Yet there is no sign of rapists subsiding. India reported 32,033 cases of rape in 2019, which means 87 women were raped daily in the country. In 2017 a total 32,559 women and girls were raped in India while the figure in 2018 was 33,356. In 2019, more than 5,000 minors were victims of rape. Rajasthan heads the list in the number of rape cases followed by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The states of Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Kerala and Assam are also not safe as incidents of rape are on the higher side.
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Dowry deaths in India have also increased according to the NCRB, which functions under the Union Home Ministry. It stated that Uttar Pradesh reported the maximum number of dowry-related deaths in 2019. Crimes against children have also increased. The NCRB reported that 1,48,185 incidents of crimes against children have taken place in India. The figure shows a rise of four per cent in comparison to the crimes against children in 2018. Approximately 46.2% of the crimes are related to kidnapping and murder.
The NCRB has said that the actual figures may be much higher than those it has reported. It informed that it collects data according to the cases filed in various courts. However, there are plenty of occasions when women fall victim to lustful family members. In such cases the matter is hushed up to avoid social stigma that comes along with the incident.
The figures show that the Hathras gang-rape case is not just an isolated one. It is just a repeat act of ‘Nirbhaya’ and the Hyderabad rape case which occurred earlier in the year. Till exemplary punishments are meted out and justice delivered quickly, such cases will continue to open.
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