Key Takeaways
- Hundreds of students marched in New Delhi demanding stronger safety measures.
- The latest case involves three men posing as police officers gang-raping a 17-year-old girl.
- Activists argue that legal reforms have failed due to lack of mindset change and enforcement.
Hundreds of students took to the streets of New Delhi on Wednesday, demanding stronger safety measures following a series of high-profile rape cases. The latest incident, which saw three men posing as police officers allegedly gang-rape a 17-year-old girl in a public park, has reignited debates over women's safety in the country.
The case echoes the 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old physical therapy student, known nationally as 'Nirbhaya' or 'Fearless', which sparked nationwide protests and led to more robust laws against sexual violence. However, women's rights activists argue that these changes, which included a broadening of the definition of sexual offences and the introduction of stronger punishments for rape, have proven inadequate.
Activist Yogita Bhayana told AFP, 'Nobody is working on the actual solution, which is the mindset change. The mentality is still that it is a woman's fault to be out of home late, or men policing women if they are seen with another man.'
According to the latest available official data, India recorded an average of 80 rape cases per day in 2024, compared to around 68 per day in 2012, the last year before the stronger laws came in. Activists say the true number of sexual assaults is likely far higher, with many victims fearing stigma in a deeply patriarchal society and not filing reports.
The alleged assault on Monday followed the rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl whose body was found in a decomposed state, and the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl by a bus driver and a conductor who offered her a lift during heavy rain. Both cases occurred in recent weeks in Delhi, often called India's 'rape capital', but other regions are not immune.
Criminal lawyer Shilpi Jain, who has represented survivors of sexual violence, told AFP, 'The problem is not in the law but with the people who are implementing it. Overworked judges. Overworked cops. One police station handles 200,000 to 300,000 people. How will it be possible to investigate cases thoroughly enough?'
Each case has brought arrests, political condemnation, and a public outcry. The government has expanded the criminal definitions of penetration and consent, with gang rape becoming punishable by at least 20 years in prison, and the death sentence introduced for repeat rape offenders. However, lawyers and activists say the challenge lies in enforcement.
The lack of enforcement, including overworked police forces and courts, hinders the reforms' impacts. 'The mentality (is still) that it is a woman's fault to be out of home late, or men policing women if they are seen with another man,' Bhayana emphasized, highlighting the ongoing societal issues that need to be addressed.
Nobody is working on the actual solution, which is the mindset change.
Yogita Bhayana, Women's rights activist
The mentality (is still) that it is a woman's fault to be out of home late, or men policing women if they are seen with another man.
Yogita Bhayana, Women's rights activist
