Crimes Against Women in India

Rising violence against women has been a recurring source of concern for India. Egregious incidents of such violence have attracted extensive media reportage and legislators have responded by expanding the scope of acts constituting violence against women and imposing harsh punishments. However, public and private spaces continue to remain unsafe for women.

This problem has continued to pose a considerable political challenge for the Indian government. In response to this challenge, governments have enacted a spate of special laws tackling crimes like trafficking, dowry harassment, domestic violence, etc. These legislative interventions, in sync with a retributive public opinion, are often lauded, but ground realities remain unchanged. The executive fails to create the systems envisaged under these laws and the judiciary contributes to this systemic failure by reaffirming patriarchal norms and by flagrantly displaying gender insensitivity.

To holistically assess India’s response to violence against women, we evaluate the role played by the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. We analyse legislative debates of laws tackling crimes against women to understand their legislative intent; Right to Information ('RTI') responses to assess executive action; and judgements in cases of rape and cruelty to assess the judicial response and application of law.