It was atrocious on the part of Chief Minister Jayalalitha claiming in the State Assembly that Tamil Nadu, under her regime, was the safest State for women in the country, even as the records presented by herself and the agencies concerned showed that crimes against women were on the increase in the State. But, in the absence of any meaningful opposition in the House, she had the tenacity to say “Women are bravely coming forward to lodge complaints on crimes against them in my rule” and that crimes against women were gradually decreasing in the State from 2011, when she took over as the CM.
But what is the reality?
On July 20, the daily “The Hindu’ reported under the heading, “Rapes in Tamil Nadu on the rise over last 3 years”, it was reported,
“Crime against women, especially rape and even incest rape (sexual assault of girls/woman by those within the family) incidents, are on the rise over the last three years in Tamil Nadu.
According to the Crime in India 2013 data of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there had been 7,475 cases of crime against women which included eve-teasing, stalking, domestic violence by husbands, in-laws, harassment at work place.
In 2013, Tamil Nadu a share of 2.41 per cent in the country’s total crime against women, Tamil Nadu accounted for 923 rape victims during the previous year. Victims in the age group of 14 to 18 and 18 to 30 were 280 and 395, while there were 61 and 78 victims in the age groups of up to 10 and 10 to 14 respectively.
As many as 93 victims were in the age group of 30 to 50 and 16 were aged 50 and above. Cases of incest rape were six and the victims were in the age group of 10 to 30.
With regard to girls of younger age being victims of sexual assault and abuse, law enforcers say that stringent law i.e., the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act came into force only recently.
When the cases registered under this provision reach a logical conclusion before the trial courts, the quantum of punishment could have a deterrent effect.
Statistics indicate that even children below the age of 10 have been victims and similarly sexual assault of women in the age group of 50 and above was also reported from the State.
The statistics of 2013 shows a steady increase compared to 2012 and 2011. Total cases of crime against women in 2012 was 7,192 and 6,940 cases in 2011. As far as cases of rape were concerned, there were 737 cases in 2012 while it was 677 in 2011. Cases of incest which were 2 in 2011 went up to 4 in 2012 and it had become 6 in 2013.
In more than 95 per cent of cases of rape, the offenders were either relatives or known persons.
In 2013 of 923 cases of rape, six offenders were parents/family members, 98 were relatives, 263 were neighbours and 531 were known persons. In 2012, all the offenders in 737 cases came under this category of known accused while in 2011 of the 677 cases, 675 were known offenders”.
Another report in the same daily on July 27 under the headline, ‘Majority of sexual assault victims in T.N. are minor girls’, stated:
“A majority of sexual assault victims in Tamil Nadu are minor girls, according to a study conducted by ‘Evidence,’ a Madurai-based NGO.
The victims, among whom Dalits accounted for 46 per cent, had also been subjected to humiliation, torture and threatened with deadly weapons by the accused prior to committing the crime. The ‘Evidence’ team met the victims across the State with data accessed through Right to Information Act.
In 2013, the police had registered 923 cases of rape and sexual assault. The NGO, which had taken 573 cases for study, found that over 80 per cent of the crimes were reported from villages and around 15 per cent from urban locations.
Even after several months, victims continued to remain in a state of trauma due to inaction of the police. Absence of stringent action, and repeated threats from the accused compelled some of the victims to even end their lives. What causes concern was the attitude of the police in dealing with the cases, the study said.
Speaking to The Hindu, executive director of the Evidence, A. Kathir, said women, particularly minors, suffered multiple injuries during the assault. When the victims resisted, they were attacked with weapons. “In some cases, the women were kidnapped and subjected to physical torture. The study showed that out of 573 victims, 199 were Dalits and 231 were caste Hindus. The shocking revelation was that 65 per cent of the victims were less than 18 years of age,” he noted.
During interactions with the victims, the ‘Evidence’ team found that the police officers encouraged “out-of-court” settlement and mediated in getting compensation from the accused, Kathir said.
The government should amend laws to ensure that the accused were not let on bail at least for 12 months. It should establish a Criminal Justice Commission to put an end to atrocities against women, by involving the police, administration and health officials and the judiciary, the NGO urged”.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, on an average one child and three women are affected daily by sexual assault in the State. As many as 2,603 cases were filed in the first five months [of the current year]. A total number of 333 women are sexually assaulted. The gang rape of a dalit girl in Karur and abduction and rape of minor girls at a children’s home in Pollachi were some of the recent incidents.
The government was so indifferent towards sexual assault on women that it took two years to appoint a lawyer in the case of Punitha of Sri Vaikuntam near Tuticorin who was raped and murdered. And much worse, the appointed lawyer had been seeking adjournments repeatedly.
But Jayalalitha dared to give a new interpretation to the cases of rapes and sexual assaults which is an affront to womanhood in Tamil Nadu.
As many as 923 rape cases were reported in Tamil Nadu in 2013, a 25% increase in comparison with the 737 cases reported in 2012.
Jayalalitha, who is in charge of the home department, told the State Assembly on Aug 6 that several of the 923 cases were actually instances of elopement and consensual sex that police recorded as rape. A number of such cases were relating to elopement of girls with men whom they liked. Cases were registered as the girls were minors, she added. There were also incidents of women complaining of rape when the men refused to marry them after having a relationship. In nearly 50 per cent of the 923 cases of rape registered last year, the complaint was made by women after they got separated from the men, Chief Minister said, adding that police filed 53 rape cases that investigations revealed were not rape but molestation and sexual harassment only 332 cases pertained to “forcible rape.”
This is not a western country where pre-marital sex and so-called ‘consensual sex’ were treated lightly but cried down. No women in India, more particularly come forward to boldly admit forcible rape and report to police, fearing social repercussions and stigma. The families of such victims also try to cover up fearing for the future life of the affected. Only the victim has the right to say whether the so-called ‘consensus’ was voluntarily offered or ‘extracted by coercion’. When such are the social conditions here, known well to all and Jayalalitha too, her statement like this is most condemnable and maligning women in Tamil Nadu. In all such cases the words of the victim women are final and could not and should not be disputed, even according to many verdicts of the Supreme Court. Jayalalitha’s strange explanation is akin to that of Mulayam Singh Yadhav, which had been condemned by women’s organisations all over the country.
Only a few days back, Shiv Sena drew ire of women’s organisations and civil rights groups besides many political parties for its controversial editorial in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ defending rape accused IPS officer Sunil Paraskar, accused of raping a city-based model, and made light of the allegations against him saying it has become a “fashion” to charge men with rape. “Cases of charging men with molestation and rape in hi-fi societies to create hype is on a rise now. It has almost become a fashion. After he has served for so many years in the police force, one model now charges DIG Sunil Praskar with rape and in one night he becomes a villain. Such accusations have become good weapons to seek personal revenge,” the party said in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’. “New laws were made after the shameful Nirbhaya incident, but have cases of rape decreased?” it asked.”When the truth has to come out, it will. But till then the media trial the accused has to go through damages his morale,” it said. “All the laws in the country favour women so anyone can slap any charge against anyone. The judicial system has to open its eyes and ensure that justice is served to the innocent,” the edit said.The Sena mouthpiece questioned the model’s intentions to file rape charges against the DIG when everything between the two “was fine” till now.”What is the model’s background? How did she suddenly make a rape accusation when everything between them was fine until now? This question comes to the mind of a common man but the police investigation seems to ignore these questions,” it said.It questioned the delay in filing the case saying that a woman who has been subjected to such a torture will not be able to wait for so long to get justice. “This model filed charges after six months.... We have to remember after the unfortunate rape incident at Shakti mills, the victim filed her complaint in a couple of hours. No woman will be able to bear this inhuman treatment on her for even a minute. She would file a complaint immediately,” the Sena said adding that the facts of the case should be brought in public as soon as possible.
In what manner Jayalalitha’s definition of rape case different from the reactionary view espoused by the Hindutva outfit against victims of rape incidents. But it is most unfortunate that the media in Tamil Nadu and women’s organisations remained indifferent to this atrocious maligning of women by a woman Chief Minister of the State.
The number has gone up since women have got the courage to lodge complaints, according to Jayalalitha. But the reality as everyone knew the complaints lodged with the police by women are only the tip of the iceberg because most of such heinous offences are not reported.
The ADMK government should take positive and sincere efforts to prevent crimes against women and ensure their safety instead of boasting of achievements which were not made. r
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