A recent incident in Kolkata took aback the entire country and evoked serious discourse regarding the safety of women in India. In this instance, a trainee doctor was murdered by a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police who was arrested as the prime accused. This outburst of anger has rocked different parts of India reminding us how unsafe many women are at their workplaces. Moreover, it has highlighted to the world an alarming truth about violence against women being a pandemic. This blog discusses the Kolkata rape incident, updates on its progress, compares it with similar cases elsewhere in the globe and what are the root causes for such violence.
Latest Developments on This Case
August 9, 2024: Arrest of the Accused
Following an investigation and examination of CCTV footage, Kolkata Police arrested a civic volunteer named Sanjay Roy, who later admitted to the crime. Roy was arrested in an intoxicated condition from outside the hospital.
August 10-12, 2024: Protests by Medical Professionals
Interns and postgraduate trainees at state-run medical establishments across West Bengal joined the ongoing protests, demanding justice for the victim and stronger safety measures for healthcare workers. The protests disrupted hospital services in the state.
August 15, 2024: Vandalism at RG Kar Hospital
A group of around 40 people entered RG Kar Hospital and vandalized the emergency department, nursing station, and medicine store. They also damaged CCTV cameras and ransacked a stage where junior doctors had been demonstrating. The Kolkata Police arrested 37 individuals in connection with the vandalism.
August 18, 2024: Supreme Court Intervention
The Supreme Court took suo moto cognizance of the case on its own, stressing the principles of justice and preserving the anonymity of the victim. The court ordered the West Bengal government to improve security in the hospital and ordered that the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) be deployed.
August 20, 2024: Formation of National Task Force
The Supreme Court set up a ten-member National Task Force whose duty is to come up with a national protocol for the protection of doctors and medical practitioners. An interim report should be submitted by the NTF in three weeks’ time and a final one within two months.
August 21, 2024: CBI Investigation and Ongoing Developments
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case as a crime scene examination team was dispatched to the hospital. Protesters all over India are demanding justice for spying on doctors since it was alleged that their security was compromised when he was taken into custody; this has led to psycho-analysis tests being conducted on Sanjay Roy (accused) by CBI.
All these events point towards an ongoing fight against injustices, safeguarding anonymity for victims and instituting changes in how the rights and safety of women including medical practitioners in India are protected.
Latest Stats
According to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there was an increase in crime against women with 4,45,256 cases registered in India for the year 2022. What comes out as alarming is that it means approximately 51 First Information Reports (FIRs) are filed every hour.
The crime rate per lakh population for the female gender was 66.4 while the charge sheeting rate was 75.8 in such cases.
According to data collected by the NCRB majority of crimes against women are concentrated on specific categories, 31.4% being categorized as cruelty by husbands or their relatives, 19.2% involved kidnapping and abduction, 18.7% were assaults aimed at outraging modesty while 7.1% were classified under rape offenses respectively. The crime rate against women per lakh population stood at 66.4 whereas the charge sheeting rate was 75.8 for these cases.
Violence Against Women Worldwide
It's evident from the Kolkata rape case that violence against women goes beyond boundaries. Globally women are subjected to terrible forms of violence that are often committed by those they know or trust. Here are a few recent instances that show how urgent this issue is.
Sexual Assault Case in Brazil
In March 2024, a 22-year-old female nurse was attacked by her co-worker after she took part in celebrations for another worker’s promotion in São Paulo Brazil. After getting her drunk at a club he took her back home where he assaulted her taking advantage of the fact that she was drunk and trusted him.
The police received a report from this woman who also posted about it on Facebook making it a national protest addressing not only sexual violence but even harassment at the workplace thus prompting massive protests demanding justice and better working conditions for women.
University Student Assault in Nigeria
A university student in Lagos, Nigeria, was severely beaten up in February 2024, while going home from an overnight study period. The young woman was approached by a gang of men who were said to have been her friends before. Initially, the incident went unreported due to fear of shame and revenge, but later, it received attention via social networking sites calling for women’s protection. Such a situation emphasizes that something must be done urgently concerning security on all Nigerian universities’ premises.
Activist Assault in Egypt
In April 2024, a prominent women’s rights activist in Cairo was assaulted during a peaceful protest advocating for gender equality. The activist’s message was targeted by a group of men who opposed it. This has been condemned locally and internationally, sparking discussions on how safe women activists are in the Middle East. Many people have called for tougher laws to protect them as well as an overall change in society towards gender equality.
Workplace Harassment in the United States
In January 2024, a woman from New York City stormed the media with the information that she had been molested and harassed sexually by her boss. She sought legal protection because it had become unbearable after enduring his filthy remarks for some time now. This move raised eyebrows across America as people began discussing workplace culture and the weak enforcement of anti-harassment laws.
ALSO READ: Why Workplace Culture is Important? | Insights for 2024
India’s Public Transport Violence
In December 2023, another incident in Delhi saw a taxi driver who was on duty cruelly attack a woman. After she was able to get away, the victim reported the event to police and sent them off in pursuit of her attacker. The discussion on women’s security in public transportation in India became topical once again, with calls for increased control and supervision over these services.
Root Causes of Violence Against Women
Violence against women is indeed a chronic issue owing to significant historical, cultural, and social determinants. In the past, women were considered as goods and subjected to various forms of mistreatment. Dangerous myths about the place of women in society are often supported by norms and traditions based on gender. Such stereotypes can make it seem alright for someone to hit a woman or they may try to find justifications for such acts whenever they happen. On the other hand, factors like poverty, lack of education, or means can expose them more easily in situations where violence occurs.
Conclusion
The recent Kolkata rape case brings to light the vulnerability of women in different aspects of their lives, thereby serving as a tragic reminder. It has led to an essential discussion about women’s safety; which is not just India but globally.
As a society, we should all demand change together and strive to create safer spaces for women throughout the world. This will involve advocating for reforms in legislation, holding institutions responsible, raising public awareness, and providing all-round support for survivors of violence. If we work together, we might be able to eliminate violence against women and guarantee a safer future for all.
There shouldn’t be any excuses for such heinous crimes and as we all know justice delayed is justice denied. The government should resolve such cases within six months of the time frame with the accused receiving the DEATH penalty. Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below.
If you have any burning opinions to share, please write to us at larra@globalindiannetwork.com.
Great work Komala!
Thanks a ton Esha! Glad you loved it!
[…] Kolkata is a land, weaved in its culture of oral stories and folklores, amalgamating together to form a rich tapestry of history. Journalist Svetlana Alexievich says that there is a small piece of history in each of us and together they get accumulated to write the book of time. These stories together gets concocted as truth to us. […]