Syllabus
GS Paper 2 – Welfare Schemes for Vulnerable Sections of the population by the Centre and States and the Performance of these Schemes; Mechanisms, Laws, Institutions and Bodies constituted for the Protection and Betterment of these Vulnerable Sections.
Context
According to the National Crime Record Bureau’s annual report, there was a 4% increase in crimes against women in 2022 compared to 2021.
Introduction
The escalating rate of crimes against women in India is a disturbing trend, reflecting deep-rooted gender biases, societal norms, and systemic failures in ensuring women’s safety and dignity.
Crime in India 2022
- The National Crime Record Bureau released the 2022 crime report in India.
- The report shows a 4% increase in crimes against women, equating to about 51 FIRs per hour.
- The majority of cases involved cruelty by spouses or relatives, followed by kidnapping and abduction, assault with intent to outrage modesty, and rape.
- Approximately 13,000 cases were registered under the Dowry Prohibition Act.
- Delhi registered the highest rate (144) of crime against women in the country, significantly above the national average of 66.4.
- The states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh accounted for about half of all cases filed in the country in 2022.
Reasons for rise in crimes against women:
- Patriarchal Society: The root cause of crimes against women is the patriarchal society that disregards women’s rights and dignity.
- Regressive Values: These undermine women’s movements and empowerment, promoting conservative views on gender roles, sexuality, and morality.
- Gender-Based Violence: Practices like child marriage, female genital mutilation, honour killings, and dowry violence increase the crime rate against women. As per a WHO report, 1 in 3 women in India face such violence.
- Commodification of Women: The dowry system has transformed marriage into a business transaction, leading to violence and abuse against women, including domestic violence, dowry deaths, and bride burning.
- Policy Paralysis: Despite women-specific laws and schemes in India, the gap between policy formulation and implementation remains a challenge.
- Social and Economic Hardships: Women bear the brunt of hardships caused by inequality, discrimination, and lack of opportunities.
- Inequality: The high crime rate reflects the persistent discrimination and oppression faced by women and girls in India, across different social and economic groups.
Legal Framework for Women’s Safety in India
- Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956: Aims to prevent trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation of women.
- Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961: Prohibits the giving or taking of dowry.
- Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986: Enacted to prohibit indecent representation of women including writings, paintings, figures, etc.
- Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987: Prohibits the commission of sati, the act of burning or burying alive any widow or woman along with the body of her deceased husband.
- Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005: Recognizes domestic violence as a human rights violation and provides the right to every woman to live in a violence-free home.
- Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013: Based on the Vishaka guidelines framed by the Supreme Court, it provides measures to protect working women from sexual harassment.
Challenges in Law Implementation
- Low Representation: Women police officers in India constitute only 11.7%, below the global average of 24.7%.
- Investigation Hurdles: The low proportion of women police officers affects investigation and prosecution, leading to high workloads and slower rates of charge-sheeting and convictions.
- Workload: The underrepresentation of women in the police force results in disproportionate workloads, slowing down charge-sheeting and convictions.
- Policing Issues: There is a severe lack of training for investigations, with most investigators being juniors on a poor pay scale.
- Case Disposal Delays: Policing and investigation hurdles prolong case resolution, increasing the backlog of cases.
Way forward:
- Gender-Sensitive Policing: There’s a need for gender-sensitive policing, which necessitates the increase in recruitment and retention of women police officers, along with providing them with adequate training and support.
- Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative Study: A study by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative recommended measures to enhance the working conditions and opportunities for women police officials.
Conclusion
Addressing this grave issue necessitates a multi-pronged approach, encompassing stringent legal measures, societal transformation, gender-sensitive policing, and robust support systems for victims, to foster a safer and more equitable society.
Source: The Hindu
Practice Question
There is increasing number of crimes against women in India as per National Crime Record Bureau’s annual report 2023. In the light of the above statement, elaborate on the different laws and protections in place to combat such crimes in the country. (250 words)