This document discusses ways to make India safer for women. It notes that official statistics on crimes against women are unreliable and underreported. While reported rape numbers are lower in India than some other countries, this likely reflects underreporting due to social stigma and an inefficient law enforcement system. The document outlines two main reasons why India is currently unsafe for women: 1) deficiencies in the law and order system, including a slow justice process and police subject to political interference, and 2) patriarchal attitudes in society that view women as second class citizens. Potential solutions proposed include improving police efficiency by implementing Supreme Court directives on policing reforms, speeding up the justice system, and promoting women's financial independence and gender sensitivity training to change societal
2. Safer India for Women
Popular debate today asks …!
Has India become less safe for Women? !
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Or, Are Crimes against Women getting greater coverage?!
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Unfortunately official statistics are not reliable, so no one really knows!
The
Analysis
3. Safer India for Women
For every 100,000 people!
The number of Rapes reported by women, in these countries are!
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30.2
17.3
1.7!
In United States (2006)
In France (2004)
In India (2006)
The
Analysis
Source: UNODC Report, http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/Crime-statistics/International_Statistics_on_Crime_and_Justice.pdf
4. Safer India for Women
Clearly these are not true numbers !
due to severe under reporting!
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When an SP in Jalpaiguri instructed policemen to record !
all complaints and register FIRs, the crime rate shot up by 500%!
The
Analysis
5. Safer India for Women
WHAT IS TRUE, is that there is a slow but sure rise
even in the under reported numbers of cases registered
20
08
1,86,617
20
09
2,03,804
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10
2,13,585
20
11
2,19,142
20
12
2,44,270
The
Analysis
Source: National Crime Records Bureau data
6. Safer India for Women
WHAT IS TRUE, is that in a village in India,!
A young couple is found guilty of falling in love, !
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and when the 20 year old girl !
could not pay the Rs 25,000 fine…
The
Analysis
The Panchayat orders the girl
to be raped by 13 men
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-25855325
7. Safer India for Women
WHAT IS TRUE, is !
The gang rape of Nirbhyaya in a public transport bus, and subsequent death!
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…in India’s capital Delhi.
The
Analysis
8. Safer India for Women
So rather than less safe or more safe, the questions need to be !
Is India as safe for women as it should be?!
Why do some men think it is OK to rape a
women on the streets of India’s capital?!
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Why do some village elders !
think that they have the right to !
punish women with death and rape?
The
Analysis
9. Safer India for Women
AskHOW believes that there are 2 detrimental reasons !
1) The Law and Order machinery is nowhere near !
what it should be for a modern democracy!
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2) Women are considered second class, !
property or worse, in large parts of India.
The
Analysis
10. Safer India for Women
Reason 1 for an unsafe India for Women !
The Law and Order machinery is nowhere near !
what it should be for a modern democracy
How can we improve?!
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A) More efficient Police!
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B) Faster Justice system
The
Analysis
11. Safer India for Women
Solution A Efficient Police!
SC has given 7 Directives based on suggestions from the various Police Reforms
Committees*.!
Note: These 7 Directives were originally formulated in the case of Prakash Singh vs. Union of India and
more recently, were emphasized by the J S Verma Committee Report.
*Committees on Police Reform: National Police Commission, National Human Rights Commission,
Law Commission, Ribeiro Committee, Padmanabhaiah Committee, Malimath Committee, etc.
The
Analysis
12. Safer India for Women
Solution A Efficient Police/ Supreme Court Directives!
Directive 1: Constitute a State Security Commission (SSC) to!
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(i) Ensure that the state government does not exercise
unwarranted influence or pressure on the police!
(ii) Lay down broad policy guidelines, and!
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(iii) Evaluate the performance of the state police
The
Analysis
13. Safer India for Women
Solution A Efficient Police/ Supreme Court Directives!
Directive 2!
Ensure that the DGP is appointed through merit based !
transparent process and secure a minimum tenure of 2 years!
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Y
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ear 2
Y
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Directive 3!
Ensure that other police officers on operational duties !
(including Superintendents of Police in-charge of a district and Station House Officers in-charge of a police station) !
are also provided a minimum tenure of 2 years
The
Analysis
14. Safer India for Women
Solution A Efficient Police/ Supreme Court Directives!
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Directive 4 !
Separate the i) Investigation function and !
ii) Law and order function of the police !
EB
P
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Directive 5 !
Set up a Police Establishment Board (PEB)
To decide transfers, postings,promotions for Deputy Superintendent of
and other service related matters
Police, and below
To recommend postings and transfers
The
Analysis
for rank above Deputy
Superintendent of Police
15. Safer India for Women
Solution A Efficient Police/ Supreme Court Directives!
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Complaints
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Directive 6 !
Set up a Police Complaints Authority (PCA) !
to inquire into public complaints against police officers in cases of serious
misconduct (custodial death, grievous hurt, rape in police custody, etc) !
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To inquire at State level
for rank above Deputy Superintendent of Police
To inquire at District level for Deputy Superintendent of Police, and below
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Directive 7 !
Set up a National Security Commission (NSC) !
at the union level to prepare a panel for selection and placement of !
Chiefs of the Central Police Organisations (CPO) with a minimum tenure of 2 years
The
Analysis
16. Safer India for Women
Status on SC Directives!
A recent report said that !
• Compliance of states with the Directives was very low !
• No state had complied with Directive 1 and Directive 6 !
• The highest compliance was with Directive 3, 29% !
• Many times the compliance was in letter and not spirit
Hence the AskHOW Questions!
How can the various state police forces be freed from day
to day political interference?!
How can the Indian police force be made more efficient?
The
Analysis
17. Safer India for Women
Solution B Faster Justice System!
If the Apprehend, Investigate, Prosecute
and Convict cycle is efficient, the Justice
system acts as deterrent to potential
criminals – and hence is Virtuous.!
But when this cycle breaks down, the
same Justice system becomes Vicious.
The
Analysis
18. Safer India for Women
Hence the AskHOW Question!
How can the Justice System be faster?
For a more detailed analysis, please see!
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The
Analysis
19. Safer India for Women
Reason 2 for an unsafe India for Women !
Women are considered second class, !
property (or worse) in large parts of India.
By sheer force of a vicious custom, even the most ignorant and worthless men have been
enjoying a superiority over woman which they do not deserve and ought not to have.!
- Mahatma Gandhi
Hence the AskHOW Question!
How can the patriarchal attitudes
of society be changed?
The
Analysis
20. Safer India for Women
Solution 2 Change in Attitude of Society!
On Big Breakthrough would be the !
Financial Independence of Women
OTHER IDEAS
Compulsory and repeated!
Sex education and Gender sensitivity !
training for school children
Repeated Gender sensitivity training!
for people in positions to influence!
(Police, Teachers, Govt Officials)
HOW?!
• Participation of women in work place. Make
workplaces women friendly.!
• Entrepreneurship amongst women !
• Make government cash transfers to account of
women members of the family.
The
Analysis
Political parties to debar Candidates!
who / whose family members are !
charge sheeted for crime against women
21. Safer India for Women
Solution 2 Change in Attitude of Society!
Some Ideas from our biggest ongoing initiative: Changing attitude towards Caste in Indian society
Sanitising and sensitising
A concerted effort to ensure that
textbooks to eliminate gender bias all government actions, processes
from the formative years, as done are gender neutral
for caste bias
Prohibition on representation or A zero tolerance approach to
perpetuation of stereotypes in all gender discrimination in Civil
public communication, including Law
advertising
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In a certain sense, the entire purpose of law is to correct the asymmetry of power. !
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The
Justice J S Verma Report
Analysis
22. Safer India for Women
Solution 2 Change in Attitude of Society!
If attitudes reflect an asymmetry, they must be “corrected/reformed”
to align with our constitutional requirement of equality. !
The hard line taken to control caste-based inequality,!
needs to be replicated for gender-based inequality.
Of course the Law & Order Machinery, will need
to be the Torch bearer for Attitudinal change.!
The police forces and judiciary must practice these attitudes through
rigorous training/orientation with a hard-line taken on those who refuse
to learn or are slow to learn, as was the approach on caste. !
The
Analysis
23. IN CONCLUSION!
Please Ask your Lok Sabha candidate
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!
How can the Police force
be freed from day to day
political interference?
How can the justice
system be faster?
How can the Police
force be made more
gender sensitive?
for
m
“A o
r
How can the patriarchal
attitudes of Indian society
be changed?
Creative Partner
MeriMaaCineMAA