INDONESIA

India Shocked by Another Rape Case

"A photojournalist was gang rape in Mumbai and this case has shocked India because Mumbai was once considered as the safest city for women."

A 22-year-old photojournalist who was gang-raped in Mumbai was recently discharged from  the hospital.

The police have arrested all five men allegedly involved in the assault and the government has promised a fast-track trial.

This case has shocked India because Mumbai was once considered as the safest city for women.

Hundreds of men and women staged a demonstration outside a police station in Mumbai.

They shout “stop rape” while holding a poster that reads “We won’t tolerate atrocities against women”.

30-year-old Madhumita is one of them.

“We are just asking for the cities to be safe so that we don’t tremble at the thought of going out. We want to do our work, we want to do these challenging assignments, we don’t want to sit in office, we don’t want to sit at home, we don’t believe in the safe heavens theory, and the cities should be safe.”

The 22-year old rape victim is a photojournalist working with an English magazine.

She was on an assignment shooting a wrecked structure in the city along with a male colleague when a group of five men attacked them.

Her colleague was beaten and tied during the assault.

Famous columnist Shobha De says Mumbai is no longer safe for women.

“What we see and feel here now is like almost a state of emergency for women across India, not just Mumbai or Delhi. The only difference is that Mumbai was thought to be a very safe city for working women to achieve their career here and become successful. But what is success without safety?”

There have been more than 200 recorded rape cases in the past year in Mumbai – widely hailed as India’s safest city.

But Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh insists the city is still better than the others…

“Just one or two incidents cannot make the city unsafe. The national crime Records Bureau has made a study of 53 cities. And out these 53 cities of the countries Mumbai city ranks 48th as far as the crime rate is concerned.”

But the message has been clear that rapes must end.

Milonie Bhat from NDTV joined a silent protest in Mumbai of hundreds of journalists urging the authorities to ensure the safety of women.

“All of us are sitting down here to send one clear message: fix this. Please don’t let this happen to anyone else. We raise our voice, we speak for society today we are speaking for one of our own and we are saying fix this.”

The Mumbai gang-rape has renewed public outrage over sexual violence in India.

And it brings back chilling memories... says the mother of the Delhi gang-rape victim last year.

“When I heard about the Mumbai incident, the face of my daughter came alive in front of me. It’s very painful. The only way to stop these incidents is to give harsh punishment to the culprits as soon as possible.”

The government has introduced harsh laws for sexual crimes... also several other measures to ensure women’s safety.

But it’s been almost a year... and little has changed on the ground, says Ranjana Kumari, director of Centre for Social Research.

“It shows that those who do these horrendous acts have no fear. They have no fear of law, police and the justice delivery system. They are sure that they are going to get away with it. Beasts are roaming around freely in the society and women are not safe at all.”

The case has ignited fierce debate on how to put an end to the increasing sexual crimes against women.

Many push for a better implementation of laws, giving severe punisment and police and judicial reforms.

But human rights lawyer Indiar Jaisingh says it’s important to address the root.

“I do feel that somewhere as a society we have failed and it’s not going work for us anymore to just blame the police. We have to look in other places and one of the things is we have to convey information about sex and sexuality to children at a young age where they learn how to handle their own selves and their sexuality.”

• India
• gang rape
• women
• Mumbai
• Bismillah Geelani