India, Delhi, rape, child rape, torture, gang rape, police
April 22, 2013
Fury over the rape and torture of a five-year-old girl in Delhi was apparent on the capital's streets on for the third consecutive day on Monday, as hundreds of angry protesters stormed barricades outside the police headquarters.
Angry youths scuffled with policemen and shouted slogans protesting at the rising number of rapes and demanding improved security for women.
The child, who was allegedly raped by her neighbor, has now started taking liquids and semi-solid food and her wounds have started to heal, doctors said on Monday.
The girl's alleged attacker, Manoj Kumar, 22, who is in police custody, claimed that a second person was also involved in the rape. A second suspect, Pradeep Kumar, who is no relation, has been arrested.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also called the assault an example of "depraved behavior".
Old issue, renewed anger
Just last December, protesters had gathered in front of the seat of the government to demand justice for the medical student who was gang-raped in a moving bus that month. The accumulated anger is now spilling out again.
"This issue can't be hushed up. The police shouldn't wait for crimes to be committed. When children of migrants go missing, the police never file a report. They think they are dispensable," Kavita Krishnan, a rights activist from the All India Progressive Women's Association told DW.
The girls' rape has brought the issue of sexual harassment and authorities' failure to make the streets safe for women has, once again into focus.
"We can't take this anymore. There is a culture of sexual harassment prevalent in India, Devika Kumari, a protester told DW. "For women, commuting, going for a walk or traveling by bus, are unsafe."
The family of the five-year-old said they were offered 2,000 rupees (30 euros, 38 US dollars) by the police to keep silent about their daughter's suffering.
Such responses highlight the need for a root and branch change of police procedure, said Human Rights Watch director for South Asia, Meenakshi Ganguly.
"The recent cases of child sexual abuse, including that of the little girl in Delhi, have once again exposed the failure of police training and reform in India," said Ganguly. "Enacting strong laws are simply a first step, but it needs the government to focus urgently on implementation if it is serious about protecting children and other victims of sexual abuse."
Need for more female officers
Human rights campaigners said there had been a manifold increase in child rapes in India since 2001, from 2,113 cases to 7,112 in 2011. They warned that even this increase is likely to be misjudged because only a minority of cases are reported to the police. The problem is common to all forms of rape.
"When women do report rape charges to male police, they are frequently demeaned. Studies show that women are more likely to report sex crimes if female police officers are available," activist Ranjana Kaul said.
In a news conference in response to the incident, Delhi police chief Neeraj Kumar resisted demands for his resignation and said he had suspended the policeman involved.
Since the December gang rape, there has been a surge in cases of sexual violence against women. At that time, six people were charged for the murder. Four are on trial in a specially-convened fast-track court and face the death penalty. A fifth suspect was found dead in prison and a sixth, believed to be a juvenile, faces a trial in separate court.
Though India's parliament has just passed a strong anti-rape law recently making human trafficking, acid attacks, stalking and voyeurism criminal offences as well as expanding the definition of rape and sexual harassment, it has not proven an active deterrent.