Women Empowerment Still a Distant Dream: What NCRB Report Says

The conviction rate for gender-based cases, as revealed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in its latest report indicated our failure to protect women in the country. It should make advocates of women's empowerment recognise that India has not made any progress in providing equal rights and justice for women. It’s a shame that the conviction rate in rape cases is only 22.7 per cent, highlighting where the perpetrators of such heinous crimes derive their confidence. Such a poor conviction rate is bound to embolden the offenders irrespective of the presence of stringent laws, making them believe that the law enforcing agencies will never be able to prove them guilty as they are not interested in gathering evidence to make the cases watertight. This is one of the reasons why rape and other crimes against women are on the rise in the country as the offenders do not fear law. Claims that more cases against atrocities on women are being reported is nothing but a ploy to divert the attention from the real issue, as mere reporting of incidents mean nothing without penalizing the perpetrators. We all need to know how many offenders have been punished for their crimes, rather than focusing on how many women have kept their faith in our justice system despite the poor conviction rate. The concerned authorities should give a thought to this pertinent question in order to end the ordeal of victims. Without justice, talks of women empowerment and equal rights are meaningless.

Over the years, India has gained a questionable reputation concerning the safety and security of women. The latest NCRB report only strengthens the perception that the country is not safe for women. There were instances when lawmakers and persons responsible for maintaining law and order asked why girls had to venture out at night. To those who support the idea of a night curfew for girls, everyone, regardless of gender, has the right to move freely at any time and it is the duty of law enforcement agencies to ensure their safety. What is needed at the moment is a complete overhauling of security measures for women in the country. It’s time to set up police stations to exclusively deal with cases like rape and crimes against women, as it’s apparent that the regular police stations are already overburdened with other responsibilities and unable to provide proper attention to gender-based violence. The society too should play a proactive role in teaching the importance of respecting women and promoting gender equity.