Examining Violations of Women’s Safety in India

India today is stained with the tears and blood of various women whose dignity and right to life have been snatched by the motherland’s lack of consideration for their safety and well-being. In our aspirations towards building this country into a developed nation, have we forgotten that half of our population still fears that someone would steal their opportunity to contribute towards this grand feat? Safety as a basic need is fundamental to a healthy living, but where does India stand in providing this need to its women force?

Women’s safety is an issue that is widely discussed and debated in every corner of the world. However, over the years we’ve seen women’s safety being barged, taking the form of violent crimes. A National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report in 2023 revealed that the crimes against women in India had surged 4% throughout 2022. National Commission for Women (NCW) registered a total of 28,811 complaints of crime against women in 2023 which includes dowry harassment, molestation, police apathy, rape and attempts of rape. 

These numbers are essential to be mentioned because incidents of abuse and harassment towards women continue to occur in our country even after repeatedly being documented and talked about. The recent RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder case which has left us all in turmoil, is one of the many cases where the dignity of a human being is stolen and their life ripped away from their bright futures. 

On 9th August, 2024, a 31 year old medical trainee was brutally raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. She was in her 36-hour shift at the hospital and had gone to sleep on a piece of carpet in the seminar hall due to the lack of dormitories or proper resting rooms. Her body was found the next day with extensive injuries and bleeding. An autopsy of the body found that she was sexually assaulted and then was brutally murdered. The number of assaulters is still being investigated, but one has been detained as the prime suspect in the case.

The case has sparked uproar in various parts of India, demanding women’s safety and the safety of doctors. Indian Medical Association (IMA) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding the safety of healthcare professionals. The protests continued with hospitals closing down their OPDs, elective surgeries, and IPD services on 17th August, voicing demands for justice and safety.

In the midst of the rising voices, another case sparked angry protests in Badlapur. Two minor girls, aged three and four, were sexually assaulted in a Badlapur school by a male attendant. They had gone to the toilet where there were no female staff present. The case has made distressed parents enter the school premises and vandalise the property, as well as block railway lines as a protest. It has brought into the picture the question of students’ safety inside the school premises and an urgent need for stringent measures.

On August 12, 2024, another report came from Thanjavur district, where a 22-year-old woman was gang raped by four men and video recorded the assault. One of the four men is a 25-year-old DMK functionary and a member of the Udhayanidhi fan club, and another one is a 17-year-old juvenile. It was revealed that the accused were under the influence of heavy drugs when the crime was committed. The woman reported the case the night it happened and was taken to a hospital, while the four men were arrested.

Another nurse was allegedly raped and murdered on her way home by a daily wage labourer. She was filed missing on July 31st and her body was found on August 8th. A 14 year old Dalit girl was gang raped and murdered in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district. She was kidnapped on August 11th and her mutilated body was found in a pond on August 12th. The police have yet to arrest the main perpetrator, who has been accused of kidnapping the girl and pressuring her family for marriage. In Bulandshah, a government official allegedly raped a 10-year-old Dalit girl as well as sexually assaulted a goat, on August 12th.

These are only a few cases of the several reported daily. An NCRB report said that in India an average of 86 rape cases daily were of rape against women, with 49 cases of crime against women being filed in an hour, in 2021. According to the Women, Peace and Security Index 2023, India ranks 128th out of 177 countries. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) says that 30% of women in India between the age of 14 and 19 years have faced some kind of physical, sexual or domestic abuse. Our country ranks 7th in the top 10 worst countries for political violence against women in 2022.

India, a country with the 5th largest GDP and the largest democracy in the world, lacks behind in providing a safer environment to women. Ensuring stricter laws, installing surveillance cameras and safety measures, and a quick justice system, that lags in the country, is the need of the hour. The importance of awareness and education of women has been reiterated over time and should be of utmost priority. It has been 77 years since India’s Independence. But we cannot call a country free where half of the population is restricted from achieving their full potential due to the lack of a safe environment. Thus, it is fundamental that the growth and well being of the women of India be ensured. It is only then that this country can actually march towards progress.

Zakia Tasnim Ahmed is a student pursuing Psychology Honours from Jamia Millia Islamia.

Edited by: Sana Faiz