Number of incidences of crime against women is the cruelty and violence by the husband and other family members, followed by sexual assault including rape and outraging of modesty.
Chandigarh: According to police record, as regard cases of crime against women in five years, 10262 cases of rape and 6338 cases of murder were registered by the police in Haryana state in five with effect from 2019 to 2024, of these 9894 rape cases and 4035 cases of murder were investigated by the police and 5304 cases of rape over 5304 cases of murder are undertrial in courts in the state. Information also reveals that 68,030 cases of crime against women were registered by the police from 2019 to 2024 and 66,806 were worked out during investigations. A total of 38,485 cases were put to courts.
Sources reveal, domestic violence within the four walls of homes as well as the violence against women outside the four walls, too is quite high. However, domestic violence against women is widely prevalent, but has remained largely invisible. Statistics reveal that 45% of Indian women are slapped, kicked or beaten by their husbands. Sources also reveal that even in nearly 32% cases acts of violence reported by the male partners against their pregnant wives. Every 60 minutes a woman dies in India due to domestic violence. Women accept violence because social norms sanction them. At the same time, cultural conditioning and economic dependence prevent the vast majority of women leaving their marital homes. Though there is criminal law to prevent domestic violence, the recent civil law ‘Protection of women from Domestic Violence’ is aimed at providing relief, compensation and support to a woman.
The domestic violence is usually due to verbal and emotional reasons including insulting behaviour by female partner, not attractive in look, not smart, doesn’t respect his (Husband) or his parents, accusations on the character or conduct etc, for not having a male child, for not bringing sufficient dowry etc, preventing from taking up a job, preventing from meeting any person in the normal course of events, threats to commit suicide, economic violence, for not providing money for maintaining you or your children, not providing proper food, clothes, medicines etc, stopping from carrying on employment, not allowing to take up employment, having relationship with some one in opposite sex and physical violence by slapping, beating, hitting, biting, kicking, punching, pushing, shoving or causing bodily pain or injury in any manner, sexual violence (such as forced sexual intercourse, forcing to look at pornography or any other obscene pictures or material and any act of sexual nature to abuse humiliates or degrade or violating dignity or any other unwelcome conduct or sexual nature) is also one of the major reason for domestic violence in many cases.
A study to make an analysis and research of nature and magnitude of crime against women in Punjab and Haryana states in context to India revealed that the largest number of incidences of crime against women is the cruelty and violence by the husband and other family members, followed by sexual assault including rape and outraging of modesty. A study in Haryana and Punjab concluded that the state of Haryana is liable for more such crimes against women than the state of Punjab, hence the state must adopt strict measures by way of which the menace of crime against women can be controlled. In India crime against women has existed since a long time. However, it is only recently that this matter has drawn the concern and discussions in the political and social brackets of the country. However, a striking fact regarding Haryana is that it has the highest rate of crime committed against women among all states in the country: as high as 107.5 cases per lakh female population as per National Crime Report Bureau (NCRB) report 2019.
NCRB reports 2019 revealed that crimes against women related to female popularion in India, Punjab and Haryana were identified as 0.08% in case of rape along with murder in Punjab, 0.21% in case of Haryana of the total crimes against women. Similarly, in case of rape and gang-rape Punjab recorded 16.90% and Haryana of total number of crimes against women. In case of attempt of rape or gang-rape Punjab recorded 1.61% and Haryana recorded 1.40% cases of the total number of crimes against women. According to the report 19.48% sexual assaults on women were reported in Punjab as compared to 21.22% cases in Haryana in total crimes against women. The report also identified 1,35% dowry deaths in Punjab, 1.71% deaths in Haryana and 2.21% deaths of the total number of crimes against women as regard dowry deaths. In regards to cases of cruelty by husband or his family on women 30.26% cases were reported in Punjab as compared to 33.26% cases reported in Haryana of total number of such crimes against women. As regard to kidnapping and abduction cases in NCRB 2019 report Punjab state registered 26.20% cases as compared to 27.36% cases registered in Haryana of total number of such crimes against women.
The most heinous crime i.e. rape is covered under section 376 of Indian Penal Code (IPC). Another serious crime against women is the attempt to rape which is covered under section 376 and section 511 of IPC. Crime related to kidnapping and abduction of women is covered under section 363, 364, 364A and 366-369 IPC. One of the oldest social problems in India is the prevalence of the dowry system which when turns ugly takes the shape of crime. Dowry deaths in India are not limited to any specific religion, but are much more common in most of the communities in Northern India, particularly in Punjab and Haryana. Dowry deaths are covered under section 304-B of IPC. Most of the cases of abetment to suicide by women in India are also due to dowry or other issues. It is unfortunate to see that cruelty of husband and his relatives against the married women covered under section 498 IPC forms the largest part of all the crimes being committed. Some other crimes committed against women in India include immoral trafficking of women, procuring, buying and selling of minor girls and importation of girls from foreign countries (Section 366B IPC). Other crimes committed against women are forced miscarriage, acid attacks etc.
