Whopping 250 per cent climb in rape cases in state: NGO

Kathir, Executive Director, Evidence, an NGO based at Madurai, on Monday said that a total of 677 rape cases were registered in 2011. in 2014 the total number increased to 1565. Over 70 per cent of the victims were under 18 years, said Kathir. Dress code is often cited as the major reason for rape, but when children are raped, it is clear that the way one dresses has nothing to do with rape. 

According to him, the poor conviction rate is yet another alarming feature in the rape cases as only between 5 and 7 per cent of the accused are convicted, while the rest are acquitted. The major reason for the low rate of conviction is the lack of scientific and psychological investigation carried out by Police and other investigative agencies, said Kathir. 

Speaking at the conclusion of a 15- day awareness program on violence against women organised by Evidence, Kathir claimed that violence against women in the state had been increasing in the recent years. The average number of violent incidents against women recorded in a year in the state crosses 7,000, with domestic violence being the commonest crime. 

In 2015, more than 150 women were murdered by their husbands. Also, 6 out of 10 women are beaten by their husbands, according to Evidence Kathir’s findings. “The numbers does not represent the true incidents that had happened in the state as only 20 per cent of the incidents are registered. In the case with Dalits the number of cases registered is under 5 per cent,” said Kathir. Another problem associated with the violence against women is their caste. Nirbhaya in New Delhi and Swathi in Chennai were given importance but girls such as Kalaiselvi, a Dalit girl who was gangraped in a village in Thanjavur and Naveena who was killed by a man who had stalked her at a village in Villupuram district, were not spoken about alleged Kathir.