60% rise of reported rapes in India since 2012: It's not just patriarchy, misogyny, atrocity, it's more than that

By Sheshu Babu*
'I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection' -- Sigmund Freud
Condemning rapes and harassment of women has become a routine with increase of these cases over the years. Among the ten countries reporting incidents of rape, nations like America, Canada, Sweden and UK appear in the list (wonderlist.com, Ejaz Khan). About 36% of women globally have been reported experience either physical or sexual intimate violence.

In India, according to the National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB), 2013 Annual Report, 24,923 rape cases were reported across India (Rape in India, en.m.wikipedia.org) in 2012. Out of these, 24,470 were committed by someone known to the victim.(98% of cases). Thus, mostly 'relatives' are cause of rapes.

Gory incidents

The crimes have risen sharply. Statistics show that since 2012, reported rape cases rose by 60% in India to around 40,000 in 2016 with child rape accounting for 40% ("Sorry, but rape is a political issue in India", Ujjwal K Chowdhury, April 19, 2018, dailyo.in). A total of 34,651 cases were reported in India. Of these in 33,098 cases, the offenders were known to the victims. So, the hue and cry after Nirbhaya case had little impact.
Gory incidents like fathers raping their child have also come to light. For eight years, a girl from Anjala in Punjab said her father raped her. The 21- year old broke her silence after watching TV coverage of Mumbai rape incest case. The girl's father Ashok Taneja was later arrested.

In an article, Annie Giwen describes how girls are beaten even when they are raped by fathers ("An Indian teen raped by her father. Village elders had her whipped", May 9, 2016, washingtonpost.com). Girls are forced to accept that the fault is theirs.

Possible reasons

Fathers who indulge in such heinous acts are often drunk, perverted and have some sort of crime record. Some may even have uneasy or troubled past. Assaults and sexual abuses by family are used as a punishment if the girl marries outside her community. Honour killings have been increasing.

Also, the tool of 'corrective rape' is used to 'straighten' a girl's sexual orientation ("Parents use 'corrective rape' to straight'en gays", Rupam Jain, June 1, 2015, timesofindia.com). In a country where normal rapes are under-reported, the incidents of corrective rapes may not even be talked out for a long time due to trauma and shame experienced by the victims who are mostly girls.

Need to address

Though uncomfortable to speak and debate, such barbaric atrocities must be addressed. In a country where girls are seen as personal property of men, such instances reflect stark exploitation even in families. The very nature of ' father' is questionable as his character of giving care and love becomes that of a rapist with sexual lust when such incidents come to light.

Heart-wrenching stories like 'My Father raped his daughter. And I am their Baby. My story" ( Rowena Slusser, May 25, 2015, lifesitenews.com) compel us to think of such crimes and find solution to stop such horrific exploitation of girls.
Blessin Mushohwe, a child rights and policy consultant at UNICEF, rightly says that society must actively keep its eyes open for signs and symptoms of sexual abuse on schools, churches or even as they play at home. ("When fathers rape their daughters", July 30, 2014, theherald.co.zw).

Research points out that rituals, driving of evil spirits, lure of money etc. are chief causes of such crimes. Therefore, people must be given rational education about abstaining from such heinous acts.
Girls should also be taught about domestic violence. An 11 year-old-girl in Mumbai was encouraged by a lecturer on ill-treatment and called child helpline 1098 to report rape by her father. (sharmeen.hakim@timesgroup.com, posted July 12, 2018, ). The court sentenced him under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences ( POSCO) Act. The child has shown bravery and exceptional courage.
Any word to describe such rapes seems very euphemistic. Girl children and women should be protected from cruelty and horror of domestic rapes and violence.
Leon Hoffman, MD, discussing a case of 'Dora' treated by Sigmund Freud ("Fathers and Daughters", posted Jun 4, 2014, psychologytoday.com) says, "...Adolescent girls need attachments to fathers and other men and they need to be heard. Fathers need to listen in order to remain available to support and protect their daughters". This responsibility should rest on every father so that girls gain confidence and trust.

Social analysts should conduct awareness programmes on parental guidance and drive away evil practices from society.
---
Writer from anywhere and everywhere, inspired by a lyric of Gaddar that describes the treatment of new born girls and women: "Nindu amasa naadu O! Lachcha Gummadi.... Aada pilla puttinado O! Lachccha Gummadi' (On a new moon day oh! Lady ( lachcha gummadi) , a girl was born oh! (Lachcha gummadi)"

Comments

Uma said…

The fault lies in our society where women are ''hidden''from men. I have seen young men, mostly in their early 20s and coming from the hinterland, who gape at the sight of women walking around in the city. They are potential rapists

July 23, 2018

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

Proposals for Babri Masjid, Ram Temple spark fears of polarisation before West Bengal polls

By A Representative A political debate has emerged in West Bengal following recent announcements about plans for new religious structures in Murshidabad district, including a proposed mosque to be named Babri Masjid and a separate announcement by a BJP leader regarding the construction of a Ram temple in another location within Behrampur.

Search This Blog