Gulte News
The nation is full of anger right now, reeling from the tragic news of the gangrape and murder of a 31-year old female resident doctor at the RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata.
With rumours of a larger, more sinister conspiracy behind this crime, nationwide protests have compelled the Central Board of Investigation (CBI) and the Supreme Court of India to take charge of the investigation from both procedural and judicial ends.
But this event has shone a spotlight on women’s safety in India, especially in workplaces. Every rape case is being amplified at the moment, with citizens wondering out loud whether women’s safety in India has truly improved since the 2012 Nirbhaya case. A series of statistics reveal chilling truths about this issue, proving that nothing has really changed. India continues to remain unsafe for its daughters.
According to a 2022 survey done by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), a rape happens every 16.6 minutes in India. This is an average statistic, with state-wide numbers revealing this malaise in a more specific context. According to this study, a rape takes place every 10 hours 45 minutes in Telangana, while the timeframe stands at 14 hours 6 minutes in Andhra Pradesh.
In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the time window is absymally low — with a rape happening every 1 hrs 37 minutes and 2 hrs 53 minutes respectively. Ladakh (73d) Nagaland (52d 3hr) and Puducherry (40d 13h)fare better in this survey compared to rest of India. Nevertheless, this survey gives a damning portrait of the prevalence of crimes against women all over the country. It is the need of the hour for policy-makers and the powers that be to address this issue once and for all.
