According to recent National Crime Records Bureau statistics, a rape is being reported every 30 minutes in India, an alarming increase of nearly 700% since 1971 when the NCRB started keeping records

Rape is the fastest growing crime in the country, according to data for 2006 released by the home ministry's National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recently. A rape is being reported every 30 minutes, an alarming increase of nearly 700% since 1971 when the NCRB started recording them.

These figures are revealed even as reports of sexual crimes, including those against foreign tourists, come in from different parts of the country, and a concerned Centre convened a high-level meeting with state governments in New Delhi on January 24 to review safety and security measures for women.

Every hour, 18 women become victims of crime directed specifically at them -- rape, kidnapping and abduction, dowry-related crimes, molestation, sexual harassment, eve-teasing, etc. Rape has grown from seven cases a day in 1971 to 53 in 2006. In comparison, all other crimes have grown by 300% since 1953 when the NCRB started keeping records.

What is alarming is that the offenders were known to their victims in 75.1% of rape cases (14,536 out of 19,348). Parents/close family members were involved in 3% of cases (431 out of 14,536), neighbours in 36.8% of cases (5,351 out of 14,536) and relatives in 7.6% of cases (1,106 out of 14,536).

According to the NCRB data, among 35 cities with a population of over 1 million, Delhi topped the list of crimes against women, with 4,134 cases (nearly one-fifth of the total number of crimes against women). One-third of all rapes and a fifth of molestation cases took place in the city. Hyderabad was the second most dangerous city for women, with 1,755 cases.

Among the states, Andhra Pradesh recorded the highest number of crimes against women -- 21,484 cases, or 13% of the total number of cases in 2006. Uttar Pradesh was a close second, with 9.9% of such crimes. Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number of rape cases, at 2,900, and also molestation cases.

Records reveal that 7,618 women were killed for dowry in 2006, an increase of 12.2% over 2005. Uttar Pradesh, with 1,798 cases, had the highest number of such deaths, followed by Bihar with 1,188 cases.

And these are just the cases that have been reported; the number of unreported cases may be much higher.

Several women have been raped and sexually attacked this month in Goa, Kerala and Rajasthan -- three of the most visited places in India . In the latest incident, a British woman reported that she had been raped in the beach resort of Goa .

In another incident, a British woman and an American woman complained of similar attacks in the desert state of Rajasthan last week, while in Kumarakom, in Kerala, two minor Canadian girls on holiday were molested by a security guard at a hotel.

“We are adopting zero tolerance towards the accused. We are dealing seriously with these cases,” Goa 's Chief Minister Digamber Kamat said in Panaji. The Kerala state government also said it would intensify police patrols after two sexual assaults this month.

These incidents have raised serious concern among the country's tourism ministry that is apprehensive that its high-profile ‘Incredible India' campaign abroad will be adversely affected by the bad publicity. Several prominent countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada and France have issued warnings in travel advisories specifically for women tourists about the possibility of physical harassment and molestation in major tourism destinations like Delhi, Agra, Goa and Himachal Pradesh.

According to official sources, Union Tourism Secretary S Banerjee has written to the tourism secretaries of all states in the wake of the recent media reports, reminding them that the ministry had asked them to deploy special police at popular tourist sites. Only 10 states have acted on the recommendation so far.

The tourism secretaries of various states are to meet Tourism Minister Ambika Soni and other senior officials in New Delhi on January 24 to try and identify measures that can be taken to provide better protection to foreign visitors, apart from reviewing the effectiveness of the existing ones, said official sources.

Source: Hindustan Times , January 14, 2008
             Hindustan Times , January 11, 2008
             http://ncrb.nic.in, January 2008