Bengaluru: Local residents here on staged a protest against the increasing number of crimes against women in the country.
The protestors titled the protest as ‘#NirbhayaDishaMe’, as a reference to the rape and murder of the two victims in Delhi and Telangana respectively.
Speaking to ANI, Chetan, an actor and social activist, said: “This protest is not only about the cases, but it is also about the normalisation of violence against women, sexual harassment and rape culture which is being accepted on a large scale. The hashtag is an outcry, which says that we must challenge the situation, and bring a feminist gender-sensitive approach.”
He further said that it was the responsibility to not let the situation worsen in the country, and challenge it at a structural and awareness level.
“Education is very important in this case. Boys must be taught acceptable behavior, while the girls should be made aware of their rights,” he added.
Another protestor said the people should realise that it is high time not to let these situations go unaddressed.
“The solution is two-folded. The first part begins from home, with the provision of basic education for the males, and to stop restricting the girls of basic freedom. The second part should come from the judicial system, for swift punishment to the accused,” she said.
“We should stop blaming the victim, and push for safer, sensitive police and governmental departments, who can understand our problems. This is a wake-up call to take action against the issue of rape,” said Megha, another protestor.
It is worth mentioning that a woman veterinarian was raped and murdered in Shamshabad area in Telangana last month. Her charred body was recovered on November 28. The accused were killed in a police encounter.
Recently a rape victim succumbed to her injuries in New Delhi after she was set ablaze by four men including the rape accused in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh.
As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report for 2017, 3.5 lakh cases of crime against women were reported in the country. Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 56,011 cases followed by Maharashtra with 31,979 cases and West Bengal 30,002.
Majority of cases under crimes against women were registered under ‘Cruelty by Husband or his Relatives’ (27.9 pc) followed by ‘Assault on Women with Intent to Outrage her Modesty’ (21.7 pc), ‘Kidnapping and Abduction of Women’ (20.5 pc) and ‘Rape’ (7 pc).
Delhi with 40.4 per cent, Bengaluru with 8.9 per cent, Mumbai with 7.2 per cent, and Chennai with 3.6 per cent contributed significantly to the crime statistics in the metropolitan cities.