KOCHI: The high-decibel campaigns to stop violence against women notwithstanding, there appears no major change in the way women are treated.
According to official estimates, the district witnessed 1,130 incidents of crime against women in 2016 (up to October), a marginal rise from 1,023 cases registered in the previous year. In 2014, as many as 1,253 cases were registered, including crimes ranging from rape to kidnap and those falling under Section 498A (husband subjecting wife to cruelty) of the IPC.
During 2016, the district witnessed 148 rape cases, in addition to 295 cases of molestation. Further, 191 cases pertained to cruelty by husbands, while 417 cases were recorded under the Other Offences category.
The total number of rape cases registered in the State last year was 1,319. The State also witnessed 3,351 cases of molestation and 2,822 incidents of cruelty by husbands in the same period.
In terms of the overall number of cases, the district (1,130) stood third behind Thiruvananthapuram (1,493) and Malappuram (1,208). The total number of cases across the State, however, dropped from 13,852 in 2014 to 12,173 in 2015 and to 11,608 till October last year.
Attributing the falling numbers to rising awareness on gender equality among women, senior police officers maintained that some crimes were inevitable, and that they came to light only when the victims came out and reported. “Growing awareness about women’s rights has also encouraged them to be more vocal on such issues. The police, on their part, are following up complaints with due seriousness,” said a senior police officer.
However, there are a few in the lower rung who maintained that several cases of sexual assaults still went unreported owing to the stigma attached to such crimes. “Whenever there is a case, there is a lot of publicity, and no one feels the trauma experienced by women. Besides, they are asked too many questions, which often make them feel uncomfortable,” said a woman officer attached to the Ernakulam rural police.
