Crime against women in politically important areas underlines a disturbing paradox

Crime against women in politically important areas like Delhi and Noida underlines a disturbing paradox. Despite being centers of governance and law, and home to a large workforce of women who should feel safe, these regions face alarmingly high rates of violence and harassment.

While data from neighboring Noida shows that the district recorded a 21% reduction in such crimes in 2023 compared to 2022 and a 24% drop compared to 2021, this crime rate could be only part of the story. The actual statistics may be on the higher side as many incidents go unreported due to fear of societal backlash, stigmatization or a lack of confidence in the police and the justice system. Victims often face enormous pressure to remain silent, perpetuating a cycle of violence and impunity, women’s activists say.

Despite being the national capital, Delhi is already considered one of the most unsafe cities for women in India. The city is at the forefront of several types of crimes against women, including rape, dowry deaths and insult to women’s modesty.

The national capital recorded 14,158 cases of crimes against women in 2022, according to the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) and a staggering crime rate of 144.4 per lakh of the female population.

Data from the National Commission for Women (NCW) shows that 2,411 complaints were filed in 2023. Major issues in Delhi included harassment (8,540 complaints), domestic violence (6,274), dowry harassment (4,797) and rape (1,537).

Gurgaon’s statistics were also disturbing, with more than 1,000 cases recorded in 2023, mainly related to domestic violence and kidnapping. According to media reports, an average of three women file complaints every day at police stations in the Millennium City. Most of these were related to domestic violence (384 FIRs). At the same time, 291 kidnapping cases were filed under IPC sections 366 (kidnapping of a woman) and 366A (procuration of a minor girl), 180 cases under IPC section 354 (assault or criminal force against a woman) and 172 cases under under IPC section 376 (rape). Neighboring Haryana also faces a high incidence of crimes against women, underscoring the urgent need for effective measures to ensure security and justice in the NCR.

However, overall, Uttar Pradesh had the most cases in absolute terms, with a total of 65,743, followed by Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. Other major categories of crimes against women included kidnapping and abduction (19.2%), assault with intent to outrage one’s modesty (18.7%) and rape (7.1%).

In 2022, India faced a grim reality of sexual violence: 31,516 reported cases of rape involving 31,982 victims, including 1,017 girls under the age of 18.

Alarmingly, this amounts to approximately 90 reported rapes per day. The cost percentage in these cases was 75.8%, reflecting the complexity within the legal system. Crimes related to cruelty by husbands or relatives accounted for 31.8% of all crimes against women. The overall crime rate per lakh women population was 66.4. Kidnapping and kidnapping, sexual assault and rape were other major categories of crimes against women.