By Supriya Jha
Circumstances such as domestic violence, verbal abuse, emotional trauma and physical abuse have never been strange to women around the world.
But this time in India, the increase in domestic violence cases broke the 10-year record.
According to the article published by ‘The Hindu’ on 22 June, during the first four phases of the corona-related lockdown, Indian women reported more domestic violence and sexual violence complaints than were recorded in the same period in the last 10 years.
From March 25, 2020 to May 31, 2020, 1,477 domestic violence cases were reported in India. There are also helpline numbers for help, but they do not benefit much because 86% of women experiencing domestic violence do not ask for help in India.
Increasing cases in India –
Take example of any state of India, violence in women has increased in every state and the condition is getting worse.
According to a May 18, 2020 article in the Times of India, Uttarakhand and Haryana have reported the highest number of cases in the last two months after Delhi.
Reports showed that 144 cases of domestic violence have been reported in Uttarakhand since the start of the lockdown till May 15, 79 in Haryana and 69 in Delhi.
According to another article published in Hindustan Times, complaints of domestic violence have decreased in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana during Covid-19.
At the same time, there has been a significant increase in such cases in states like Punjab.
According to the annual National Crime Records Bureau’s “Crime in India” 2019 report, crimes against women increased by 7.3 percent from 2018 to 2019, and also crimes against scheduled castes increased by 7.3 percent.
“A total of 4,05,861 cases of crime against women were registered during 2019, an increase of 7.3% in 2018 (3,78,236 cases). Most of the cases of crime against women under IPC were registered under ‘cruelty / ruthlessness by husband or his relatives’ (30.9%), followed by ‘insulting her modesty with intent to attack women’ (21.8% ), ‘Abduction of women’ (17.9%) and ‘rape’ (7.9%).
The NCRB report states that the crime rate per lakh women population in 2019 is 62.4 as compared to 58.8 in 2018.
Crime rate in Punjab –
According to police data released on 22 April, there has been a 21 percent increase in complaints of crimes against women in Punjab during the covid-19 curfew.
According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report for crime in India, Punjab registered a 38.5 percent crime rate (per lakh population) last year in cases registered under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985.
In 2019, 11,536 cases under NDPS Act were registered in Punjab. Of these, 5,609 were recorded for possession of drugs for personal use or consumption and 5,927 for possession of drugs for trafficking.
Between March 21 and April 20, 5,695 complaints of crimes against women were revealed, the Punjab Police said in a press statement. While there was no lockdown between February 20 and March 20, there were 4,709 complaints.
The number of complaints of domestic violence during the curfew period is 3,993 compared to 3,287 between February and March – an increase of 21 percent. (The print, 23 april, 2020)
According to NCRB, the number of crimes against women in Punjab has disappointed, with 5,886 cases reported in 2019 where the number was 5,302 in 2018 and 4,620 in 2017. In 2016, these figures were 5,105. In the 2018 data on rape cases, in 530 cases, the victims were adult women; Others were under 18 years of age.
The state saw an increase in rape cases from 530 in 2017 to 837 in 2018. The rape figure in 2016 was 838. In 151 cases the victim was between 12–16 years of age. In 139 cases, the age of the victim was 16–18 years. In 30 cases, the victim’s age was found to be between 6–12 years while in 10 cases, the victims were below 6 years of age. Among women, 381 women aged between 18-30 years fell victim to this evil crime. In 108 cases, the victims were between 30–45.
Cases of various crimes have been registered in Punjab in the last three years under Crimes against Children. There were 2,133 cases in this category in 2017, which increased to 2,308 in 2018 and 2,625 in 2019. Punjab was also among the first three states to be involved in cases related to acid attack attempts.
Most unsafe city of Punjab –
Ludhiana is considered as the most unsafe city of Punjab for women. The rate of crime against women in Ludhiana had increased by 23% from 2017 to 2018, data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) showed.
Among various cities and districts of the state, the Ludhiana Commissionerate topped the cases of crime against women reported in 2018. As per the data, the number of cases of crime against women in Ludhiana Commissionerate in 2018 was 662.
In 2017, the number of such cases for Ludhiana Commissionerate was 535. Among the cities and districts of Punjab, Patiala has the highest number of cases of crime against women in 2018 with 418 cases in the Chief Minister’s home district.
The Jalandhar Commissionerate stood third with 278 such cases, while 264 such cases were seen at Bathinda, the home of former CM Parkash Singh Badal.
An analysis of the sub-categories of crime against women in 2018 showed that the abduction and abduction of women to force her to marry was seen in a maximum of 222 cases, out of which 180 cases were related to girls under 18 years of age.
In Ludhiana, 167 cases of cruelty were witnessed by the husband or his relative. According to the data, the number of cases of assault against women intended to attack women was 91, including 81 cases involving women above the age of 18 years.
The Commissionerate had seen 76 cases of rape, of which 55 were related to women above the age of 18 years. Of the 60 cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (Poxo) Act, 53 were of child rape and seven of sexual assault.
The city saw 13 cases of kidnapping for suicide of women in 2018. The city reported 12 cases of attempted rape in 2018, nine of which were related to girls under 18 years of age.
Ludhiana had eight dowry murders (highest in Punjab) and five cases related to cyber crime / information technology. (Times of India, 15 Jan 2020)
Pending cases in Punjab and some other states –
According to a Hindustan Times article written on 10 January 2020, every other crime recorded in Punjab under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 2018 was not investigated, according to the data released by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) .
At a pendency rate of 50.8%, Punjab is ranked No. 1 in all major states for non-investigation of cases i.e. incomplete investigations, followed by Assam (49.2%), Uttarakhand (45.9%), Jharkhand (46.5%). And Maharashtra (39.8%).
The pendency rate is calculated as the percentage of cases pending at the end of the year as a percentage of the total cases registered for investigation in the same year. As of the end of 2018, there were 36,295 cases pending in Punjab.
However, Punjab’s rate of filing of charge sheets in IPC cases was 65%. This was much better than 45.5% of the neighboring state of Haryana. Kerala tops the country with chargesheet filing rate at 95%.
Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta’s statement –
Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said in a press statement that “the number of complaints filed for dowry, harassment, rape and eve-teasing (sexual harassment of women) has come down significantly.”
This, he said, was probably because people were not getting out of their homes and the police presence around the state had increased.
According to the data, the average number of calls to the emergency response helpline DIAL 112 increased to 133 per day between March 21 and April 20, up from 99 on average in the previous three months.
Police said that 34 percent of these calls are related to domestic violence cases. Punjab State Commission for Women [PSCW] said that they have been receiving an average of 30 complaints related to domestic violence since March 22 this year. (Hindustan Times, 24 april 2020)
Examples of some cases of domestic violence –
Punjab State Women’s Commission chairperson Manisha Gulati said that in April, she received a call from 24-year-old Rupinder Kaur (name changed) from Bolia village in Amritsar district of Punjab. It was a call for help.
Kaur told Manisha that her husband had allegedly kicked her out of the house while she was feeding her one and a half month old baby. The local police also reached the spot and helped the woman return to her home.
The lockdown helped to keep the corona virus under control for a few weeks, but it had to be paid to women who, along with their abused husbands, were locked in homes without help.
The situation is particularly grim in Punjab, where according to Gulati, cases of domestic violence have seen an increase of up to 50 percent. The police had registered an FIR against her husband, but no one knows whether any further action would have been taken or many women like Kaur would be sitting in the hope of getting help.
Manisha Gulati recounts how in one case, the woman’s husband snatched her phone when she was trying to tell her about the violence she faced.
“In the second case, a Mohali resident wrote to me that her husband was harassing her mentally. Her husband used to say why she did not die from COVID-19″ Gulati said. (Down to earth, article by Seema sharma on 26 april 2020)
Webinar for awareness –
Under the aegis of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Indian Law Institute (State Unit) and the Gender Sensitization and Internal Complaints Committee (GSICC) of Punjab and Haryana, organized a webinar on ‘Courage of Voices in Crisis during Violence with Virus’ On August 8, by the High Court Legal Services Committee.
The speakers suggested practical ways to counter the threat from community and family involvement. The speakers emphasized changing the perception of gender roles and breaking barriers of stereotypes.
An audience of around 1,000 people were motivated to adopt their respective gender roles without suffering or feeling of superiority and to say ‘no’ to ‘all kinds of violence — verbal abuse or just a slap.’
In addition to the discussion of legal provisions and measures under the law, the audience was motivated to develop inner strength and sensitivity to speak for themselves and other distressed individuals.
Justice Daya Choudhary suggested holding more such webinars for special discussion on the rights of children, elderly and men victims of domestic violence. (Downtoearth, 26 april 2020)
Condition of the victim after a crime –
The article by Reuters shows that the Indian police estimates that only 4 out of 10 rapes are reported. This is largely due to the deep conservatism of Indian society, in which many victims are afraid of coming forward for fear of being “embarrassed” by their family and community.
Those braves have to face many challenges to get their assailants behind bars, to go to the police – rapes to hostile cops, reporting uneven forensic examinations, lack of counseling, poor police investigations and weak prosecution in courts.
The number of courts, judges and prosecutors is largely inadequate, leading to trials in previous years, intimidating victims and witnesses and leaving many cases before verdicts. Women rights activist Aruna Kashyap of Human Rights says, “Part of the problem is definitely the approach.
Too many government officials, especially the police, allow negative and harmful stereotypes of rape survivors to interfere with their duties Give. “
“So when a rapist survives, he comes forward and tries to complain at the police station. They often face hostility or suspicion about their experience.”
In one case, a 17-year-old village girl was gang-raped after being drugged on a farm in the northern Punjab region. The police reportedly failed to take this complaint seriously and the victim killed herself.
Senior political and religious leaders have shown this “victim blaming” mentality towards rape on several occasions since the Delhi gang rape, and the police often follow suit.
An investigation by India’s Tehelka magazine with NDTV news channel in April last year found that more than half of police officers interviewed – blaming the victim’s clothes or the fact that she was out at night, Suggesting that she was “asking”.
Lawyers and senior police officials agrees that police are generally highly insensitive to women who are victims of violence.
Interaction with ‘Anamika Sandhu’ –
On this issue I spoke to Anamika Sandhu, who has been working against domestic violence since 2016, on the principle of “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao aur Betiyo ko soshan se bchao”. She is currently living and working from Bathinda, Punjab.
She said that along with the help of women suffering from domestic violence, she also help women suffering from suicidal thoughts and sexual violence.
Question 1. – “How did you thought of helping women, what motivated you towards this noble cause”? Answer – Her answer was that in childhood when she was only 7 or 8 years old, her father used to beat her mother a lot and even used to exploit Anamika physically.
You can imagine if this happens to any girl at such a young age, then what will be the effect on her mind. In one of her interviews, she had told that her mother fed up with all this and left the house.
while somehow they survived and Anamika got married to someone at the age of 17 and a half. But a year after that, she too became a victim of domestic violence by her husband.
Inspired by all this, she thought that what I have endured, no one should bear and she started helping the oppressed women.
Question 2. – “Which NGO are you associated with? Where do you get call for help?” Answer – Anamika Sandhu alone is doing this noble cause. In further conversation, she told that she receives phone calls not only from Punjab or India but also from the women of foreign countries.
Question 3. – “How do you help women?” Answer – she believe that help can not be done only by running an organisation or with money, but talking to the victims, explaining them, encouraging them, explaining the difference between right and wrong can also help a lot.
Question 4. – “According to you what would be the mentality of the person doing domestic violence? Why would he do this?” Answer – On asking this question, she said that most of the men who do this are suffering from some mental illness and who does not , the cause for them is ego.
From the beginning, girls are taught to depend on the boys that if someone harasses, tell us, you will not be able to handle all this. But if the rescuer, the protector does not respect you, instead of that he beats you, what should the woman do? From childhood, girls should be taught that you can do everything, no less than anyone, do not depend on anyone.
On this question, she also said that in our society, women are considered weak from the very beginning, women cannot do anything, a thought is put in place that gives men more encouragement and they think they are men, they has the highest status, no woman can raise voice in front of them and if raised, they has every right to suppress her voice.
Question 5. – “Domestic violence cases in India have increased during this covid-lockdown and in Punjab about 30% more cases have been reported. How can we reduce the number of cases?” Answer – On this, Anamika Sandhu said that all we can do is to make aware people about it so that if they see or tolerate something like this then do not keep quiet.
We can make people aware, but cannot change their thinking. May be little awareness can save a woman’s life from getting ruined.
Causes of increasing crime rates –
There are many reasons for the increasing crimes against women. As in today’s time office, school are all closed due to which everyone is in the house and due to this cases of domestic and sexual violence are increasing day by day.
The unemployment of male members of the family due to the corona epidemic drives them into panic and they resort to domestic violence or sexual violence to allay their anger and frustration.
Similarly, women who lose their jobs become more vulnerable as they lose their financial independence. A 2018 survey by the Institute for Women Policy Research (IWPR) has shown that domestic violence can affect the education, career and economic stability of survivors during their lives.
One reason for this is ineffective policing. If we engage women to handle sensitive issues such as crime against women and portray them on critical roads at sensitive points, then crime against women will definitely reduce.
Laws to serve as a deterrent are not strict, so cases of harassment of women are increasing. If there had been any exemplary punishment in any case, it would have certainly reduced the crime.
Women are not encouraged to come out with their grievances, due to which criminals are encouraged.
To some extent, we can blame the society as a whole for the current trend. Boys and girls are not being told properly that they can be together in complete harmony. No one is teaching the values of the younger generation. We are not doing any good by creating a chase between women and men.
Crimes against women are also increasing due to negative depictions of fair sex in films and television, showing women as a ‘commodity’ and not as a human being and influenced by films, men start treating women as a commodity. For example, in Punjab, in most songs, girls are introduced as a thing. The words bomb, Pataka etc. are commonly used for them in songs.
The portrayal of women as ‘weak sex’ is one of the main reasons behind the rise in crime against women. Women are generally considered soft targets by men. Women themselves are to some extent responsible for their plight because they do not react.
Women Empowerment Policy –
A number of policies have been formulated for the empowerment of women, one of which is the Women’s Empowerment National Policy (2001) – according to this policy.
“The principle of gender equality is enshrined in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles in the Indian Constitution.
Not only does it provide equality to women, but also empowers the state to adopt positive discrimination measures in favor of women. “
Share of women in employment –
A study found that women’s participation in the labor force is increasing to the same level as men can increase India’s GDP by 27 percent.
The study said that the share of female labor force in India has fallen from 34 percent in 2006 to 24.8 percent in 2020. However, in 2018 only 26% of surveyed companies placed women in the top five job roles in the last five years.
This year’s Economic Survey has presented an intriguing statistic: 60 percent of India’s women in the productive age group of 15-59 years engage in full-time homework.
India’s female labor force participation rate – calculated as the share of working women or working as a proportion of the working female population – at 23.4 percent (2019) according to the World Bank Is low (ILO estimates).
Combine this figure with neighboring nations such as Bhutan (58.3 percent), Nepal (81.6 percent), China (60.63 percent), Bangladesh (36.14 percent), Myanmar (47.54 percent) and Sri Lanka (34.75 percent). Currently, the overall unemployment rate in India is 7%, but it is 18% among women.
Telangana has the highest percentage of working women in the country, including the organized sector, a report by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI) revealed. According to the report, about 46 percent of women aged 15-59 in the country spend a part of their day in ’employment and related activities’.
Employment rate based on caste, religion-
Now, in terms of caste or religion, among all religious communities in India, the least share of working people is among Muslim community. This is lower than the nationwide average work engagement rate of 40%.
Jains and Sikhs account for 36%. Most of the Dalits who converted to Buddhism in the 20th century constitute 43% of the population. For Hindus, the figure is 41%. According to the 2011 census data.
Low work participation of women is the main reason behind the low work participation rate in some communities. The participation of women for Muslims and Sikhs is just 15%, and Jains are also 12% lower.
Among Hindus, 27% are working women, while it is 31% for Christians and 33% for Buddhists. Many smaller religions come under ‘other religions’. These are mostly tribal communities of peninsular India and northeastern states.
Their work participation rate is clearly different from other communities. About 48% of the members of this section work more than any of the six major religious communities in the country. Women work participation is also highest in about 44% of tribal communities.
How can the number of increasing crime be reduced –
There are a total of 20 Members of Parliament from Punjab, 13 in Lok Sabha and 7 in Rajya Sabha. Of the 13 members of the Lok Sabha, only 2 are women and only one from Rajya Sabha.
So from here we can say that in politics also the number of women is not even 50%. Where the availability of seats for women is not even 1 / 3rd in every field, whether it is politics, employment or education.
In such a country, the increase of crime is obviously possible then. In order to reduce the number of these growing cases, we need to increase the share of women in every area and the cases related to women, should be investigated by women policemen.
In Bihar, the Council’s “Two Steps” project is testing strategies to reduce the prevalence and acceptance of intimate partner violence against women and girls. The Council and its partners are rigorously assessing the quality and effectiveness of strategy and services implementation. The results have the potential to change the basis of gender and reduce the risk of violence against women.
Every day a new policy is launched in the country, but there is a need for effective policies which are not just for showing, but also to bring changes in the country.
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