Rape Epidemics in Two Countries

India's rape epidemic is abhorrent and alarming. 

 

From the harrowing daylight rape* of a woman on a bustling street in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh on September 04, 2024 to the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 09, 2024, India’s exploding crisis of sexual violence against women is not just a series of grim statistics – it represents a national tragedy. And a national shame.

 

[*Instead of intervening, passersby filmed the sexual assault on their phones and posted the video on social media, where it quickly went viral].

 

These incidents are far from isolated or random; they are glaring testaments to a systemic collapse across the country. In 2022, the last available government figures reveal a staggering 31,000 reported cases of rapes, amounting to 85 rapes per day. 

 

These horrifying numbers are only the tip of the iceberg, with countless assaults concealed beneath layers of societal pressure, fear of retaliation, and systemic failures.

 

But India is not alone on this appalling issue. UK is equally as bad. 

 

There is one rape reported every hour in London, according to police data published on Friday. Almost 8,800 cases were handled in 2023, which is an average of 24 each day.

 

The figures, obtained by state broadcaster the BBC through Freedom of Information requests, show a further 11,000 reports of other sexual offences. 

 

The totals increased by 14% over the last five years to almost 20,000 in 2023, which means that sexual violence or rape was reported to police every 26 and a half minutes, on average.

 

Charities concerned with protecting children and women against sexual violence said the true extent of such incidents is far higher. The London-based Rape Crisis center claim only one in six women who are raped report the crime. Among male victims that figure is said to be one in five. Only one in four will report other types of sexual assault.

 

Shockingly, the police statistics also reveal that over 4,300 children reported being a victim of rape or sexual assault in 2023.

 

And following a series of high-profile incidents of violence against women by serving London Metropolitan Police officers, the issue of public confidence in policing has received even greater attention. Only four out of ten people in England say they trust the police, with the UK capital’s cops getting the lowest score, a survey suggested in April. A total of 657 Met officers were under investigation for sexual abuse, domestic abuse, or a combination of both last year.

 

Note: I don't know about elsewhere – but the above has been amply highlighted in the media worldwide.