Activists who had led protests and calls for action after the December 16 gang-rape case said women in the Capital faced the same risks today as they did in 2012.
On the fourth anniversary of the brutal gang-rape of a young woman on a moving bus, another case of assault in Delhi came to light on Friday morning.
A 20-year-old woman was raped by a car driver who had picked her up in Delhi on Wednesday night. While the Delhi Police arrested the man on Thursday, the case once again sparked off a debate: have we learned any lessons from the December 16 case that led to an outpouring of grief and anger and brought about stricter laws for crimes against women?
“We are still talking about incidents, not the overall climate for women, which is dangerous. It’s an attack on a woman’s autonomy and there is not one elected representative or Chief Minister who has stood up and defended that autonomy,” said Kavita Krishnan, the secretary of the All-India Progressive Women’s Association.
Hanging fire
Ms. Krishnan added that the inadequacies in public transportation that had been exposed by the December 16 case are yet to be addressed properly.
Also highlighting a lack of “political will,” Ranjana Kumari, the director of the Centre for Social Research, said that laws had failed to act as deterrents.
“The story repeats itself, the comments repeat. We are stuck in a cycle, which will only be broken with strong political will,” said Ms. Kumari, adding that the “feeling of impunity persists”, with perpetrators remaining under the impression that they would “get away” with crimes against women.
Jagmati Sangwan, the national general secretary of the All-India Democratic Women’s Association, said not only had crimes against women not decreased since 2012, but the “vulnerability of the deprived sections of society has increased”.
‘Victim-blaming’
“Through statements made by members of the government and political parties, a message has been sent down to the administrative machinery and law enforcement. The ‘blame the victim’ approach is still there. There is no accountability,” Ms. Sangwan said, adding that much was left to be done to make public transport and public spaces safe for women. However, the activists all agreed that the movement for social change that the December 16 case sparked is still on today.
From protests against sexist rules in university hostels to women reclaiming public spaces at night, the efforts to make Delhi safer are on.
