Here’s a shocking fact regarding sexual assault in India.
The December 2012 gang-rape of a 23-year-old medical student in New Delhi that gripped the nation fortunately resulted in convictions for the perpetrators. Sadly, however, out of 706 cases of rape in Delhi, it was the only one that got that far.
What’s just as disheartening is this — since the brutal gang-rape that killed the medical student last year, the number of reported rapes in Delhi has nearly doubled.
And 2012 wasn’t the only year that saw those shocking numbers of convictions versus assaults.
Of the 635 rapes reported to Delhi police in 2011, there was only one conviction despite a high number of arrests, the Press Trust of India reports.
It’s unclear why the numbers are the way they are. But The Hindu suggests it may be the fault of the investigation process.
“Low conviction rates in rape cases are primarily a result of the low quality of police investigation,” Supreme Court lawyer Rebecca John told the newspaper. “Yes, there are cases where prejudices on the part of the judges creep in, especially when the [rape victim] and the accused are known to each other, or when there is an absence of injuries. But on the whole, conviction rates in all criminal cases would be much higher if the police did a better job of investigation.”
If you recall, it was India’s top cop who just recently joked that women should try to enjoy rape if they couldn’t prevent it.
Here’s hoping that the investigation process and the overall lax attitude towards rape culture will soon change.
SOURCE: Huffington Post | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
