India’s image in the global arena has taken a beating because of an ever increasing crime against women in the country over the years. The barbaric Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case in 2012 shocked the country, triggering nation-wide protests but nothing much seems to have changed since then. That’s what the statistics say, and that’s what the Kathua rape-cum-murder incident that happened earlier this year indicated. The National Crime Records Bureau report has revealed that a whopping 38,947 rape incidents took place in India during the year 2016 against 34,651 in 2015, which is an increase of 1.3 percent. It is surprising to see that Nagaland, which boasts of being a predominantly Christian-inhabitant state, recorded 28 rape cases in 2013, 31 cases in 2014, 23 in 2015, 28 in 2016, 30 in 2017 and 10 this year till June, according to police record. Adding one more to the tally for this year was the recent abominable rape case in Meluri where a minor was sexually assaulted by her step-father. There can be a huge difference in the number of rape cases mentioned in the official record and in reality as there can be many unaccounted incidents.
People criticise sexual assaults but at the same time fail to remove or at least ease the social stigma that the victims have to live with for the rest of their lives. In a closed society like ours, the victims sometimes not only have to undergo extreme and continued trauma but also face discrimination from the people. This is one of the biggest reasons why many refuse to speak up and register a case against the accused. Several civil society organisations and village authorities come forward to condemn whenever such incidents happen in the state but the silence that usually follows is worrying. The Naga customary law on rape (varies from place to place) is also doing more harm than good, especially if both the accused and victim are from the same location or belong to same community. In such cases, the accused are let off with silly punishments like parading in public and uneven cutting of hair, which is pathetic to say the least. Criminals should be punished befittingly according to the law of land, setting a precedent for such cases and act as deterrence. People trying to bail out rapists too should be severely dealt with and the public should not let the influential and powerful bend the law. Those who are a threat to society, especially to the more vulnerable, should not be allowed to walk on the same street as others. It is imperative that we do not remain silent but rather join together to protect and uphold all those in vulnerable situations.
