Is this a Nation that worships its women?
Women, the bearers of humanity and carriers of future generations, the nurturers who cradle life with tender hands, endure unbearable atrocities in this land. In a country where their role as life-givers and a lot more should be celebrated, they are instead met with fear, violence, and neglect. The soil that once echoed with songs of freedom now witnesses the silent screams of those forced to walk with heads held low, burdened by the weight of societal, moral, and political cruelty. These women, who have long been the source of compassion, care, and power find themselves shackled by the very world they strive to nurture. In a twisted reality, those who should be shamed are garlanded, while the cries of the innocent go unheard. The nurturing hands that heal are met with wounds inflicted by a society blinded by power and prejudice. Yet, the resilience of women remains unshaken, and their scars serve as a testament to a vow for change.
India’s struggle with gender-based violence exposes the nation’s hollow claims of women’s empowerment. Despite countless government initiatives, societal campaigns, and a judiciary that promises justice, the reality on the ground remains grim. The rising cases of sexual violence and systemic failures to prevent and punish these crimes reveal that the safety of women remains an unfulfilled promise. The fight against sexual violence goes beyond punishing perpetrators—it requires creating a society where such crimes are unimaginable, and where women live without fear.
Aspiring to Lead the World While Sweeping Sexual Assaults under the Rug
For a country desperate to be seen as a global leader, repeated high-profile cases of brutal sexual assaults highlight an uncomfortable truth: India, by many measures, remains one of the world’s most unsafe places for women. Rape and domestic violence are relatively common, and conviction rates are low, writes The New York Times.
The statistics are alarming. Rape is the fourth most common crime against women in India, with a disturbing frequency. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2021 report, a rape is reported every 16 minutes, highlighting the terrifying frequency of these crimes. In 2019, a woman was raped every 16 minutes, showing little to no improvement from the 2018 figure of one rape every 15 minutes. These numbers reflect just the reported cases, while many instances remain unreported due to societal stigma and distrust in the justice system.
Government Initiatives: Hollow Promises?
Government slogans like “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” are often paraded as proof of commitment to women’s safety and empowerment. However, beneath these catchy lines lies a stark reality of governmental inefficacy. Initiatives like these intend to address gender disparity and security and expose significant lapses in implementation. These programs have become more about image management than substantial progress. Despite increased budgets, reports suggest that much of the expenditure is channeled into publicity rather than meaningful grassroots efforts. The failure of these schemes is evident in the ongoing violence faced by women. Although policies and awareness drives are in place, the government’s inability to align actions with promises is clear. Rural regions, where patriarchal values are most entrenched, have seen little change, while urban areas face rising incidents of cybercrime and harassment, further underscoring the state’s failure to address these evolving challenges effectively.
Judicial Inaction
The BNS, 2023 provisions impose strict penalties for rape, but it’s disappointing that they don’t deliver full justice. While the imprisonment terms are harsh, the lack of capital punishment for extreme or repeat offenses lessens the impact and may not deter such crimes. The law’s reluctance to be stricter overlooks the deep trauma suffered by victims, leaving a sense of unresolved injustice and inadequacy in addressing sexual violence.
India’s judicial system is often touted as the protector of women’s rights, but it too has its shortcomings. While there have been fast-track courts and stricter laws in place, a cursory look at the current judicial system reveals systemic delays, unsympathetic judgments, and a lack of access to justice among marginalized communities despite efforts made after much-hyped cases.
The release and further garlanding of the convicted rapists in the Bilkis Bano case, despite their heinous crimes during the 2002 Gujarat riots, and the acquittal of three men in the 2020 Hathras gang rape case, where a Dalit girl was brutally assaulted and later died, highlight deep flaws in India’s judiciary system. These cases, marked by shocking miscarriages of justice, reflect a troubling trend of systemic failures and a lack of accountability, leading to widespread public disillusionment.
The journey through the justice system is rough and tumble, often serving to re-traumatize survivors—and that’s with ample evidence and widespread public outcry. Delayed verdicts and lenient sentences send a dangerous message: the system does not prioritize women’s safety. Even when convictions occur, they are often the result of sustained public pressure rather than a proactive legal process. This not only demoralizes survivors but also emboldens perpetrators who see the law as a toothless entity.
The Cycle of Hypocrisy
The persistence of gender-based violence in India is rooted in a cultural mentality that fosters impunity. The public outrage that follows brutal cases of rape and assault often seems performative—intense, but short-lived. Movements flare up during high-profile cases, driven by media coverage, but the fervor dies down as soon as the spotlight shifts. This cycle of temporary outrage and fading concern reveals a societal hypocrisy, while people claim to support women’s rights, they often revert to blaming victims, questioning their morals, or policing their choices.
Honour-based violence, victim-blaming, and the social control of women continue to influence societal perspectives. In a shocking incident, a magistrate asks a gang rape survivor to undress to inspect her injuries, reported on April 03rd, 2024 at Latestly. Women are pressured to uphold their “honour,” with their safety treated as a conditional right dependent on conforming to social expectations. This ingrained hypocrisy makes it challenging to confront the culture of impunity that enables perpetrators to avoid accountability.
A Never-Ending List
India’s history of sexual violence is marked by horrific incidents that have shaken the nation’s conscience but led to little real change. The mass rapes in Kunan Poshpora (33 years ago), the brutalization of Bilkis Bano (2002), the gang rape and murder of Asifa in Kathua (2018) and the tragic death of Dr. Moumita Das (2024) highlight the deeply rooted nature of this crisis.
Disturbingly, this is not it. following the Kolkata incident, which caused national outrage and prompted widespread protests, there was a significant increase in similar cases within just a past few days – on August 8th, a nurse in Uttarakhand was raped and killed, her face crushed with a stone; on August 9th, a Kolkata doctor’s post-mortem revealed brutal assault and multiple injuries. In the days that followed, more horrifying cases emerged—a minor girl gang-raped in a Dehradun bus on August 12th, a Dalit teenager gang-raped and murdered in Bihar on August 14th, and incidents in Tamil Nadu, Bhopal, and Siliguri involving minors. Between August 16th and 18th, more chilling reports surfaced—a 14-year-old raped by her teacher, a toddler abducted and raped in Jodhpur, a Dalit nurse held hostage and assaulted in Uttar Pradesh, and minors victimized across Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. These cases quickly fade from public memory once the media attention wanes, and little is done to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
These cases also underline a grim reality: the justice system, while delivering convictions in some cases, has failed to act as a deterrent. The recurring nature of these crimes shows that systemic issues, ranging from delayed trials to lack of police accountability, persist. The horror of these cases serves as a stark reminder that women in India continue to live under constant threat.
Will the Sham subside?
Why are the women who have long been sources of compassion, care, and power now shackled by the very world they strive to nurture? In this twisted reality, why are those who should be met with severe punishment – garlanded, while the cries of the innocent go unheard? How can the nurturing hands that heal be met with wounds inflicted by a society blinded by power and prejudice? And yet, despite all this, what does it say about the safety and protection of women in India, when their resilience remains unshaken, their scars a testament to a vow for change?
