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What's the article about?
- This article talks about the increasing incidences of crime against women.
Relevance:
- GS1: Women;
- GS2: Welfare Schemes for Vulnerable Sections of the population;
- Essay
What is the crux of the article:
- Violence against women, especially young women, is increasing despite having various laws.
- There is a pattern cases, the inability of the stalker to accept the fact that his overtures were turned down by the girl directly led to the violence.
- Only a few cases hit the headlines or make an impact on social media.
- Many more go unreported, the massive unseen underbelly of the iceberg.
- According to National Crime Records Bureau statistics, a whopping 4,28,278 lakh crimes against women happened in 2021.
- These included rape, rape and murder, dowry harassment, kidnapping, forced marriage, trafficking, and online harassment.
Legislations and Government Initiatives to safeguard women:
- Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005
- Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961
- Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986
- Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013
- Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006
- Nirbhaya Fundfor projects for the safety and security of women
- One-Stop Centre Schemeto provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence, both in private and public spaces under one roof
- Online analytic tool for police called “Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences”to monitor and track time-bound investigation in sexual assault cases in accordance with Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2018.
- National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO)to facilitate investigation and tracking of sexual offenders across the country by law enforcement agencies
- In order to coordinate various initiatives for women safety, MHA has set up a Women Safety Division.
Way Forward:
- The Sustainable Development Goals underline the importance of building safe, resilient and inclusive cities from a gender lens.
- No slackening on the part of authorities is acceptable when it comes to dealing with violence against women; zero tolerance alone is acceptable.
