Going strictly by official statistics, the State is seeing a down trend in the cases registered in the category of Crimes Against Women (CAW). Statistics provided by the State Crime Record Bureau (SCRB) of the Tamil Nadu police indicate a marked dip in the graph that plots cases of CAW over a period of four years.
From 2014 to June 2017, the crime rate has come down gradually in all types including rape, dowry deaths, molestation, sexual harassment, cruelty by husband and his relatives, and kidnapping and abduction of women and girls.
The figures have fallen year-over-year for zones as well as cities. The total number of cases which was 5,479 in 2014 fell to 4,922 in 2015. In 2016 the total number of cases registered was 3,551 and in the six months in 2017 (till June) it was 1,735. Compared to zones, cities seem to have fared better. Chennai registered a sharp fall in overall CAW figures — from 617 in 2014 to 317 in 2015 and 289 in 2016.
North and south zones that are supposed to be problem areas for crimes against women have seen a marked reduction in the number of cases registered. Figures for north zone have been dipping over the years from 1,024 in 2014 and 868 in 2015 to 791 in 2016 and 483 in 2017 (till June). South zone, which showed a rise in crime rates against women in 2015 at 1,917 against 1,851 cases registered in 2014, had a steep fall in 2016 to 1,187.
‘Better policing’
A senior official of Chennai City police credited better policing as the main reason for the fall in numbers. He claimed that firm handling of CAW cases has played a vital role in deterring offenders. In support of this, he cited the case of Kannagi Nagar slum tenements in Sholinganallur where the police reportedly played a positive role in bringing down crime rates. There is evidence to show that the area recorded a sharp drop in the number of cases of dowry deaths, domestic violence, and sexual harassment, among others, as the police included women’s empowerment as a component of their intervention.
K. Shanthakumari, an advocate and office-bearer of All India Federation of Women Lawyers Association, said statistical data could not be taken as the benchmark to conclude any down or up trend in CAW. She said better policing is a wrong word to be used in such crimes that normally happen in secrecy, and one should also factor-in the harassment and delay that affected women go through in filing such cases. A reluctance to file cases has always dogged crimes relating to women, she argued, and that trend continues year on year.
‘Not the full picture’
Advocate Geetha Ramaseshan said that empirical data showing a decrease in registered cases does not reflect a drop in crimes against women. Ms. Ramaseshan asked as these kinds of crimes normally happen inside or outside the houses, how could better policing be treated as a factor for decrease in CAW. She also pointed out that since these data do not include Community Service Register (CSR) cases, a true picture could emerge only if the CSR entries are also included. Often, entries in CSR do not go to the level of FIRs and don’t reflect in crime records.
