Government told to curb crime against women, kids

Observing that despite stringent laws, sexual assaults on women continue unabated, the Madras High Court has suggested the need to analyse and examine the offences against women from both psychological and sociological angles to prevent and bring down the offences in the patriarchal society.

Justice N Kirubakaran, while holding that gender sensitisation must start from the family level for gender equality, said, “As crimes against women and girl children are shockingly rising every year, especially sex crimes, urgent measures have to be taken.”

The observations had come about in a case involving the alleged gang rape of a 60-year-old mentally challenged woman on November 10, 2016, by four persons including two juveniles.

The group subsequently stoned the woman to death. Though the court by an earlier order rejected the bail plea of two of the accused, the petition was kept pending for getting response for the queries raised by the court in society’s interest.

The judge noted that despite the country leaping forward economically and sociologically in this electronic era, sadly, sexual violence against women and children is increasing day by day in an alarming manner. He cited the National Crime Records Bureau data wherein the crimes against women which were at 1.55 lakh in 2005 had increased to a whopping 3.38 lakh in 2016 and similarly the number of rape which was 18,359 in 2005 had increased to 39,068 in 2016.

Based on this, Justice Kirubakaran on suo motu impleading the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Women Welfare and Child Development, National Commission for Women, Tamil

Nadu Home Department and the Director General of Police put forth as many as 25 queries and directed them to file their responses by January 10, 2018.

The queries included the reasons behind the increase of sex crimes against women and girl children in India to the steps taken to making use of the latest technology like DNA finger printing to effectively investigate and prosecute the culprits in cases of offences against women and girl children.

While seeking to know as to whether it is a fact that despite rise in complaints of sexual violence, many cases are not being reported by the victims fearing stigma and exclusion by society and family, Justice Kirubakaran also wanted to know as to whether the state and Centre have taken steps to introduce ‘Age appropriate sex education’ in school curriculum itself to educate students/youngsters about sex to clear their doubts and wrong notions.

Another query is why the government shouldn’t appoint well trained counsellors/psychologists in every school or for five schools to note anti-social and narcissistic personality disorders and identify potential sex offenders and give appropriate counselling with the co-operation of parents discreetly, to avoid stigma on the children.