The safety of women in India has become a major issue over some time. The crime rate against women in India is increasing day by day. Now the situation is that women think twice before going anywhere alone. In particular, nighttime is considered a dangerous time for women in India to travel or even move outside the home. But, due to the use of the internet, women are no longer safe even inside the home due to the threat of various types of cybercrimes.
The Constitution of India provides equal rights to men and women by providing fundamental rights and other important rights. Women have all the rights by which they can help in the growth and development of the nation. According to the laws in India, women are equal to men. They can do any type of work where they feel comfortable and confident. But still, the women in India feel unsafe and live in fear. The reason behind this fear is the crimes against women in India.
In this article on the safety of women in India, we will discuss all the reasons behind the fear of women in India and laws related to the safety of women in India.
Table of Contents
Crimes against women in India
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, 88 rape cases per day have been registered in India in the year 2019. Also, the report states that the vulnerability to rape has increased by up to 44% in the last 10 years. These are the rapes that are registered, no one knows the exact figure of unregistered cases. Every day, we see cases related to gang rape, brutal murder etc.
In India, women have been given the status of goddess. Yet, we hear of crimes against women in India every day. Sometimes these crimes are also very painful to hear. There is a long list of crimes against women in India. The acid attack is one of the heinous crimes which destroy the life of a girl. In India, there are many cases related to the acid attack in which acid attack survivors are battling to live their lives.
Honour killings are a very common crime in India in which the family kills their girls in the name of honour to keep up the reputation of the family in front of society. You have seen man honour killing incidents on social media where some are registered and some are not even registered in the police station. No one takes the action to even launch an FIR against such crimes.
Female feticide is the process of ascertaining the sex of the fetus. Although it is considered illegal in India, it is increasingly used for abortion if it is a baby girl.
Rape and marital rape is also common in India. Section 375 of the Indian penal code talks about the rape of a female, but it exempts the husband from any legal punishment if he forces his wife into intercourse without her free consent.
Many laws deal with the safety of women. For example, Section 354 of the Indian penal code deals with the punishment for a person who uses criminal force on any woman to outrage her modesty.
Reasons behind the crimes against women in India
Patriarchal Mindset
Due to the Patriarchal mindset, men believe in their superiority. The males are considered as more strong than females and it is the main reason that they take advantage.
Entertainment media
Movies and other TV shows present women very poorly. It influences other people to think wrong against every woman.
Delay in punishment
In India, the judiciary takes much time to serve justice. It is not the fault of the judges of the court. The fault is in the process given under law for fair trials and the number of cases in the courts. It slows down the process of deciding the litigation and delays the justice.
No hard punishment
The death penalty in India is given only in the rarest of rare cases. Life imprisonment is considered to be the harshest punishment in India. India has adopted the reformative theory of punishment which gives another chance to the criminal by reforming him which is not enough in some heinous crimes against women in India.
Lack of awareness
Our society is not ready to discuss sex and menstruation. This is the main reason why women hide the crimes happening to them due to lack of awareness. Society fails to provide necessary awareness related to crimes that can help women to defend themselves.
Lack of education
There is a lack of education in India. People do not understand the importance of education. Due to this, young children are engaged in the work of child labour where they have to face various types of crimes like physical harassment etc. Sometimes, these children are forced into prostitution.
Ways to Ensure Women’s Safety
The government is taking necessary measures to ensure women’s safety in India. There are the following ways that can also be used to ensure the safety of women in India:
Police patrolling
There must be police patrolling at night so that the women can come back home safely from their jobs.
Installation of cameras
The government should use the new technology to stop the crimes against women by installing cameras on every road which can help to stop any crime.
Night drop cabs and rickshaws
There should be women staff in cabs to drop off and pick up women even in late-night hours.
Social awareness
The government should start awareness camps in schools and colleges to aware students aware of the crimes.
Toll-free numbers
The government should provide toll-free numbers so that females and others can contact these numbers for help.
Sex education
Sex education should be added to schools and colleges. It will help the children to know about sex-related crimes.
Self-defence
Self-defence training in schools and colleges should be mandatory.
Making laws more strict
The laws related to crimes in India are not very strict. These laws must need more strictness so that the person who breaks these laws should take higher punishment.
Understanding Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
Conclusion
There is a need for the safety of women in India. We should take the necessary steps to decrease the crimes against women in India. Every person should be aware of the crime so that he/she can protect himself/herself from such crimes. Also, the government should focus on women’s empowerment.
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