In the latest round of criticism of Indian policies after >the May 27 gang-rape and hanging of two girls in Badaun , Uttar Pradesh, 10 Democratic U.S. Senators have written an open letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week, calling on him to “take immediate action to combat gender-based violence and improve the safety of women and girls in India.”
Led by Barbara Boxer of California, the group of senators expressed “shock and horror,” over the rape and slaying of the two girls aged 12 and 14.
Their letter follows >critical remarks issued by the U.S. State Department and >the United Nations , of which respectively alluded to the need for “changing laws and changing attitudes,” and “systemic failures” in curbing sexual violence in India.
The senators’ letter was of a similar tenor, noting, “More needs to be done to prevent violence against women, improve victim support services, bring perpetrators to justice, and address other forms of gender-based violence including child marriage.”
In their opening salvo the senators said to Mr. Modi, “Congratulations on your recent election as Prime Minister of India, in which women voters played an integral role.”
They went on to point out that high rate of rape and sexual assault “have been a longstanding challenge for your country,” and emphasised that the true scope of the problem may never be known as sexual violence remained one of the most dramatically underreported crimes in the country.
Further, they said that it was “deeply troubling,” that there were allegations of both “complicity and negligence by the local police,” particularly that police officers may have ignored initial reports from the family that the two girls were missing and may have attempted to cover up the crime.
The lawmakers additionally signalled the intention of the U.S. to assist India in tackling sexual violence and supporting victims.
They wrote, “We look forward to continuing to partner with your government on immediate and sustained action to provide adequate psychosocial support for victims of sex crimes, improve gender and sexual assault response training for all Indian police, promote effective implementation of anti-rape laws, increase efforts to prosecute and hold perpetrators accountable, and help decrease the stigma associated with reporting crimes of sexual violence.”
Besides Senator Boxer, the signatories to the letter were Richard Durbin, Ed Markey, Jeanne Shaheen, Debbie Stabenow, Patty Murray, Tammy Baldwin, Kirsten Gillibrand, Mary Landrieu, and Chris Coons.
