India's 9% women "experienced" rape, 21% physical sexual assault, 38% sexual comments, 79% harassment

By A Representative
A survey of four countries – United Kingdom, Thailand, Brazil and India – has found that nine per cent of city women have “experienced” rape in India, which is equal to a similar assault suffered by women in Thailand. As for the other two countries under survey, UK and Brazil, two and eight per cent respectively said they have “experienced” rape.
The survey, sponsored by Action Aid, a multinational advocacy group, further says that 21 per cent of Indian women complained that they faced “another form of physical sexual assault”. This is against 18 per cent in Thailand, 15 per cent in Brazil and six per cent in UK.

Carried out by YouGov, a UK-based firm, the survey has further found that 79 per cent of women in India and Thailand have experienced “harassment”, as against 86 per cent in Brazil and 74 per cent in UK. Further, 43 per cent of women in India and Thailand experienced “insult/calling names”, as against 39 per cent each in UK and Brazil.
The survey has further found that 44 per cent of women in India have experienced “wolf whistling”, as against 53 per cent in Thailand, 54 per cent in UK, and 77 per cent in Brazil.

Also, 38 per cent of women in India experienced sexual comments, as against 57 per cent in Brazil, 40 per cent in UK and 24 per cent in Thailand. And, finally, 62 per cent of women in India and Thailand experienced “staring”, as against 74 per cent in Brazil and 49 per cent in UK.
In all, the research has found that three in four women have been subjected to harassment and violence in cities across the world.

Action Aid, UK, has described the situation as an "epidemic". The research has been launched ahead of the charity’s International Safe Cities for Women Day, in a bid to tackle the urban violence that women and girls struggle with globally.
Sarah Carson, ActionAid's Women's Rights Campaign Manager, has been quoted as saying: “It is appalling and unacceptable that this is happening in cities around the world…"

She adds, "No matter who she is or where she lives, no woman has to live in fear of violence or harassment in her city.”
Carson further says: “Behind every statistic are real women. Women who have been raped in their homes in the slums of Delhi, women in Brazil who fear the drug traffickers who dominate and control their neighbourhoods, and garment workers in Cambodia and Thailand who are abused and harassed in and around their work place.”

Details of the survey say, in Britain, 43 per cent of women polled said they felt at risk of harassment on city streets and 36 per cent felt at risk travelling on public transport. However, 70 per cent of women in the North East and 72 per cent in London respectively felt at risk of harassment in their cities - both figures are much higher than the average of 67 per cent across the country.

In Brazil, 55 per cent of women, aged between 18 and 24, said that they had been harassed at public or community events.

The survey also shows that 22 per cent of women in Brazil who did not complete secondary school education had been raped, in comparison to two per cent of women with a professional qualification.

Across cities in Thailand older women were also at risk. The survey revealed that 20 per cent of the women aged 55 and over had been raped - almost double the number of rapes among women aged between 18 and 24 (11 per cent).
In North India, according to the survey, 89 per cent of women said they had experienced harassment of some sort, with 50 per cent experiencing unwanted bodily or physical contact of a sexual nature.
---
For data source click HERE

Comments

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

Aravalli at the crossroads: Environment, democracy, and the crisis of justice

By Rajendra Singh* The functioning of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has undergone a troubling shift. Once mandated to safeguard forests and ecosystems, the Ministry now appears increasingly aligned with industrial interests. Its recent affidavit before the Supreme Court makes this drift unmistakably clear. An institution ostensibly created to protect the environment now seems to have strayed from that very purpose.

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

India’s universities lag global standards, pushing students overseas: NITI Aayog study

By Rajiv Shah A new Government of India study, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations , prepared by NITI Aayog , regrets that India’s lag in this sector is the direct result of “several systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to provide quality education and deliver world-class research, weak industry–academia collaboration, and outdated curricula.”

The rise of the civilizational state: Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta warns of new authoritarianism

By A Representative Noted political theorist and public intellectual Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta delivered a poignant reflection on the changing nature of the Indian state today, warning that the rise of a "civilizational state" poses a significant threat to the foundations of modern democracy and individual freedom. Delivering the Achyut Yagnik Memorial Lecture titled "The Idea of Civilization: Poison or Cure?" at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Mehta argued that India is currently witnessing a self-conscious political project that seeks to redefine the state not as a product of a modern constitution, but as an instrument of an ancient, authentic civilization.

Why experts say replacing MGNREGA could undo two decades of rural empowerment

By A Representative A group of scientists, academics, civil society organisations and field practitioners from India and abroad has issued an open letter urging the Union government to reconsider the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and to withdraw the newly enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. The letter, dated December 27, 2025, comes days after the VB–G RAM G Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16 and subsequently approved by both Houses of Parliament, formally replacing the two-decade-old employment guarantee law.

Bangladesh in turmoil: Rising insecurity, sectarian forces gain ground

By Bharat Dogra Many who initially welcomed the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are now reconsidering their stance. The reasons are stark. Law and order has deteriorated sharply, leaving large sections of the population—particularly political opponents—deeply vulnerable. Minorities report growing insecurity, with disturbing incidents of targeted violence. Inter-faith harmony is under unprecedented strain, while prospects for fair elections are fading as major political parties, including those with strong minority support, face exclusion and obstruction.

Gig workers’ strike halts platforms, union submits demands to Labour Ministry

By A Representative India’s gig economy witnessed an partial disruption on December 31, 2025, as a large number of delivery workers, app-based service providers, and freelancers across the country participated in a nationwide strike called by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). The strike, which followed days of coordinated protests, shut down major platforms including Zomato , Swiggy , Blinkit , Zepto , Flipkart , and BigBasket in several areas.

Search This Blog