Crime against women in India is showing a downward trend but the atrocities, including rape, have been increasing in capital New Delhi, the country's "crime capital."
The above fact was revealed by Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Sriprakash Jaisawal in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday in response to the Calling Attention Motion tabled by Vijay Kumar Malhotra of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
As per all-India statistics compiled by the National Crimes Record Bureau, the number of major crime against women such as rape, kidnapping/abduction, dowry deaths, cruelty by husbands/relatives and molestation reported during the years 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005(up to March) was as follows:
2001 - 1,33,935
2002 - 1,32,803
2003 - 1,28,230
2004 - 1,33,865
January to March, 2004 - 30,114
January to March, 2005 - 29,932
In comparison to the year 2001, there was decline in the overall incidence of crime against women in the country during the year 2004. The figures of crime against women for the first three months of the current year also indicate a downward trend as compared to the corresponding period of previous year.
Crime against women reported in Delhi was as follows:
2001 - 3,870
2002 - 4,106
2003 - 4,338
2004 - 5,568
January to 15th July, 2004 - 3,042
January to 15th July, 2005 - 2,706
The above figures show that in comparison to the year 2001, there has been an overall increase in the incidence of crime against women in Delhi during 2002, 2003 and 2004. The figures of crime against women for the period from January to 15th July of the current year indicate a decline in the overall crime rate as compared to the figures for the corresponding period of previous year.
However, it is a fact that there has been increase in rape cases in Delhi during 2003, 2004 and the first seven months of the current year.
Jaiswal said Delhi Police have taken effective steps in the recent past to check the incidence of crime against women.
These steps include strengthening of Crime against Women Cell, setting up of Rape Crisis Intervention Centres, constitution of special sessions courts with female judges, investigation of rape and other related crimes by women police officers or associating women police with the investigating officers in such cases, and undertaking legal awareness and publicity campaigns.
He said women police constables and plain-clothes police personnel have been posted at vulnerable places in the city to curb eve teasing and molestation and to keep surveillance on criminals.
"Unfortunately, in spite of these steps taken by Delhi Police, two cases of rape occurred recently in quick succession," said Jaiswal. These cases have received wide media coverage.
The first case relates to abduction of a girl from Dhaula Kuan and her rape in a moving car in the night of May 7. The second case, which was of similar nature, relates to abduction of a woman from Mayapuri neighbourhood and her rape in a moving car on July 20.
Jaiswal attributed the increasing crime against women to the heterogeneous character of population in Delhi. There is a positive co-relation between the growth in crime and population of the city.
Besides population, other factors like floating population, urbanisation and industrialisation leading to migration of population from neighboring states, unemployment, economic disparity, decreasing social and family bonds also influence the incidence of crime, he said.
An analysis of the data pertaining to rape cases reveals that in the year 2003, 2004 and 2005, in more than 97% cases, family members, neighbours, close friends and relatives who had clear access to the victim, were involved in committing the rape.
Therefore, the problem cannot be solved by police action alone. Creating social awareness through education in families, schools and colleges would help to improve the attitude of the society towards women. This will go a long way in checking this crime, Jaiswal opined.
