Expressing deep concern over a spurt in sexual violence perpetrated against women cutting across age groups, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has posed a set of 25 questions on the issue to the Centre as well as the State government.
Justice N. Kirubakaran raised the questions on a bail application preferred by two youngsters – Andrews and Prabhu – who had been booked by Kudankulam police in Tirunelveli district last year for having allegedly raped a 100-year-old mentally challenged woman along with two other juveniles and then stoning the woman to death.
“Hey Bharatha Matha! Look how your daughters are being molested, sexually assaulted and murdered by some of the devilish creatures roaming in your land. The said culprits could neither be termed as human beings nor animals as even animals are noble in their own way,” the judge began his interim order passed through video conferencing from Chennai.
Listing out many rape incidents reported in the media, the judge said it was shocking and disheartening to note that sexual offences against women were on the rise despite the existence of stringent laws. The number of crimes against women had increased from 1,55,553 (including 18,359 rapes) in 2005 to 3,38,954 (including 39,068 rapes) in 2016, he added.
Observing that urgent measures should be taken to address the issue, the judge posed the 25 questions to be answered by January 10. He wanted to know why should not the government distribute modern devices/gadgets to women which could be used by them at times of distress?
Directing the governments to spell out the reasons for the increase in sexual crimes against women and girl children, he asked what were the problems faced by the police while dealing with such cases.
Support for victims
Further, seeking data related to conviction rate in rape cases, he also wanted to know whether the victims were given proper counselling and support to overcome the trauma, besides being paid compensation. Is it true that many cases go unreported due to fear of stigma and exclusion by society and family, he questioned.
Moving a step further, he asked, “whether sexual violence against women is due to ‘sex starvation’ among Indian men in view of various prohibition/prescription regarding sex on the ground of culture, religion, morality and ethics? Or is it because of lack of knowledge and understanding about sex.”
He went on to probe whether the crimes were being committed due to wrong impression among men that women were objects of pleasure or to prove their dominance and control over women or because of easy accessibility and availability of pornographic materials through Internet and smart phones.
Further wondering whether movies and television soaps give “tips/clues/ideas for the men, especially youngsters and juveniles to indulge in sexual violence against women and girl children,” he asked the governments to explain steps taken to introduce age- appropriate sex education in school curriculum and moral education, especially to boys.
He also wanted to know why the government should not appoint a committee comprising psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists and women activists for examining the issue in detail and coming up with solutions to the problem.
