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UPSC Issue at a Glance is a new initiative of UPSC Essentials to focus your prelims and mains exam preparation on an issue that has been in the news. Every Thursday, cover a new topic in Q&A format and don’t miss MCQs, Points to Ponder and key takeaways. Also, don’t forget to check the answers of MCQs towards the end of the article. This week’s topic is Violence against Women. Let’s get started!
The rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital has once again brought attention to the issue of sexual violence against women. It serves as a wake-up call to ensure that all spaces, including workplaces, homes, colleges, public transport, and public places, are safe for women. In this context, it is crucial to understand the issue of violence against women from a broader perspective.
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance, Rights Issues
Mains Examination: GS-I, GS-II: Women-related issues, Social empowerment, Government policies and interventions
Other areas of relevance: UPSC Aspirants will find it useful in Essays, and Current affairs for their Personality tests.
What will you learn from this article? |
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According to National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) Crime in India Report 2022- 4,45,256 cases of crime against women were registered in 2022. This was an increase of 4 per cent compared to 4,28,278 cases in 2021. The majority of cases under crime against women were registered under ‘cruelty by husband or his relatives’ at 31.4 per cent followed by kidnapping and abduction of women at 19.2 per cent assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty at 18.7 per cent and rape at 7.1 per cent.
The crime rate registered per lakh women population was 66.4 in 2022 compared to 64.5 in 2021. Cyber crimes against women – cyber pornography/ hosting/ publishing obscene sexual material – accounted for 14,409 cases (21.8 per cent).
The NCRB data reveals alarming issues regarding women’s safety, shedding light on various forms of violence against women in our society and the digital threats to women’s safety.
“Separated by decades and cities, the fate of two women — the 31-year-old doctor in Kolkata’s state-run RG Kar Medical College who was found dead on August 9, and Aruna Shanbaug, assaulted in November 1973 in Mumbai’s KEM Hospital — shows that when it comes to women’s safety, not much has moved in India despite the loud assertions of ‘nari shakti’.”
| Do you know? |
| The NCRB annual report on crime in India provides data on reported crime from across the country and the big picture of broad trends in crime registration. NCRB functions under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. |
Points to Ponder:
— How does cyber crime against women present a new complex challenge to women’s safety?
— What are the reasons behind the increase in crime against women in India?
The United Nations defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life”. There are various types of violence faced by women, such as:
1. Femicide: It is the deliberate killing of a woman or a girl simply because she is female. The motivation for this kind of killing can be related to gender stereotypes, discrimination against women and girls, or unequal power dynamics between men and women in society.
According to UN Women-
Gender-related killings of women and girls (femicide/feminicide) are the most extreme and brutal manifestation of violence against women.
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Gender-based violence can also encompass honor killings, which involve the murder of a family member, typically a woman or girl, due to the belief that the individual has brought dishonour or shame upon the family.
2. Sexual violence: According to UN Women, Sexual violence is any sort of harmful or unwanted sexual behaviour that is imposed on someone. It includes acts of abusive sexual contact, forced engagement in sexual acts, attempted or completed sexual acts with a woman without her consent, sexual harassment, verbal abuse, threats, exposure, unwanted touching, incest, and others. Sexual violence can include sexual harassment, rape, corrective rape, and other forms of sexual assault.
3. Domestic violence: Section 3 of the Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (DV Act), defines domestic violence as “any act, omission, commission or conduct of the respondent” that “harms or injures or endangers the health, safety, life, limb or well-being, whether mental or physical, of the aggrieved person or tends to do so and includes causing physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal and emotional abuse and economic abuse”.
4. Technology-facilitated violence: According to UN Women “Technology-facilitated violence against women is any act that is committed, assisted, aggravated, or amplified by the use of information communication technologies or other digital tools, that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological, social, political, or economic harm, or other infringements of rights and freedoms. Online violence can include the following:
(i) Cyberbullying: Involves sending intimidating or threatening messages.
(ii) Non-consensual sexting: Sending explicit messages or photos without the recipient’s consent.
(iii) Doxing: Public release of private or identifying information about the victim.
Violence enabled by technology exacerbates existing forms of violence against women and also includes new forms of violence, such as online stalking and image-based abuse, using artificial intelligence, such as deepfake videos.
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RESPECT Women |
| In 2019, WHO and UN Women with endorsement from 12 other UN and bilateral agencies published RESPECT Women – a framework for preventing violence against women aimed at policy makers. Each letter of RESPECT stands for one of seven strategies:
R: Relationship skills strengthening; E: Empowerment of women; S: Services ensured; P: Poverty reduced; E: Enabling environments (schools, workplaces, public spaces) created; C: Child and adolescent abuse prevented; Story continues below this ad T: Transformed attitudes, beliefs and norms. |
5. Child marriage: Child marriage has several harmful effects on the lives of children, overwhelmingly girls. These effects include early and frequent pregnancies, higher risks of maternal mortality and morbidity, limited decision-making in family matters.
Points to Ponder:
— What other crimes do women face?
The value of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Also, within the framework of a democratic polity, the state has enacted legislative measures to ensure equal rights, counter social discrimination, and prevent violence and atrocities against women.
| Constitutional Provisions for the Protection of Women |
The Constitution of India grants equality to women and empowers the State to adopt measures of positive discrimination in their favor to address socio-economic, political and educational disadvantages.
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1. PoSH Act: The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, commonly known as the PoSH Act, was passed in 2013. It defined sexual harassment, laid down the procedures for complaint and inquiry, and the action to be taken in cases of sexual harassment. It broadened the Vishaka guidelines, which were already in place.
2. Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005: It came into force on 26.10.2006, and aims to protect wives or female live-in partners from violence at the hands of their husbands, male live-in partners, or their relatives. The law also protects women who are sisters, widows, or mothers. Domestic violence under the Act includes actual abuse or threats of abuse, whether physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, or economic.
3. Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act: The POCSO Act came into force on November 14, 2012, and deals with the issue of sexual offences against children. The act not only spells out the punishments for offences but also sets out a system for the support of victims and improved methods for catching offenders.
4. The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961: Under the provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act demand of dowry either before marriage, during marriage and or after the marriage is an offence.
5. The Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1976: To stop child marriage, the Child Marriage Restraint Act raises the age for marriage of a girl to 18 years from 15 years and that of a boy to 21 years.
6. The National Commission for Women Act, 1990: Through this act, the National Commission for Women was set up in January 1992 to review the constitutional and legal safeguards for women.
Points to Ponder:
— What were the recommendations of Justice J.S. Verma Committee?
— What constitutes sexual harassment under the PoSH Act?
— What are the gaps in the implementation of legislative frameworks for the protection of women?
Despite the existence of various laws and regulations, cases of violence against women continue to increase, raising the question of what steps should be taken to ensure women’s safety.
The Second Administrative Reforms Commission and several committees have stressed the importance of addressing crimes against vulnerable sections of society, especially women and children, and have provided numerous significant recommendations.
1. Proper enforcement of law: The government must ensure proper enforcement of laws and convictions related to crimes against women, without downplaying the rights of vulnerable sections, including women and children, due to fear of disturbances or retribution. Enforcement agencies should be adequately prepared for any such situation.
2. Gender sensitization of the police personnel and Officers: Sensitizing the law enforcement machinery towards crime against women by way of well-structured training programmes, meetings and seminars etc., for police personnel at all levels as well as other functionaries of the criminal justice system.
3. Increasing Women’s representation in Police: The overall representation of women in police forces should be increased at all levels.
4. Social awakening and Change in mindset: Law enforcement alone cannot prevent violence against women. Social awakening and a change in the mindset are also necessary to ensure women get respect and equal status. Social awakening can be brought through an awareness campaign targeting young people, by educating them on social issues.
Points to Ponder:
— What initiatives have been taken by the government for women’s empowerment?
Prelims
1. ‘Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action’, often seen in the news, is (UPSC CSE 2015)
(a) a strategy to tackle the regional terrorism, an outcome of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(b) a plan of action for sustainable economic growth in the Asia-Pacific Region, an outcome of the deliberations of the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum
(c) an agenda for women’s empowerment, an outcome of a World Conference convened by the United Nations
(d) a strategy to combat wildlife trafficking, a declaration of the East Asia Summit
(2) With reference to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, consider the following statements:
1. The act was enacted as a special legislation to address incidents of sexual abuse of children.
2. The Act gives the well-being of the child paramount importance at every stage.
3. The Act makes it obligatory for anyone who has an apprehension that a child is being abused, to report the matter to the authorities.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
(3) With reference to the annual report on crime in India for the year 2022, consider the following statements:
1. The crime rate has increased from 2021 to 2022.
2. The largest share of crimes against women under IPC sections was registered under Kidnapping & Abduction of Women.
3. Reporting of cybercrime decreased as compared to 2021.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Mains
(1) Why suicide among young women is increasing in Indian society? (UPSC CSE 2023)
(2) We are witnessing increasing instances of sexual violence against women in the country. Despite existing legal provisions against it, the number of such incidences is on the rise. Suggest some innovative measures to tackle this menace. (UPSC CSE 2014)
(3) How does patriarchy impact the position of middle-class working women in India? (UPSC CSE 2014)
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Prelims Answer Key |
| 1. (c) 2. (c) 3. (d) |
(Sources: 24% rise in cybercrime in 2022, 11% surge in economic offences: NCRB report, Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder shows how we fail women — yet again, domestic violence , unwomen.org, who.int , Explained: What is POSH)
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