Not a single day passes without a report on Rape Incident. According to the law, rape of a woman carries a punishment which varies from seven years in jail or life imprisonment while for Police and other officials the proposed punishment is 10 years plus a fine. Under section 498 A (IPC) both physical and mental cruelty are punishable crimes but the authorities do not take action. According to the Government’s statistics twenty-five rapes are committed in the country everyday but the unofficial record is in very large number. Rape is a sexual as well as cultural attack which has become a great social problem today. The negative social attitude towards the victims of such cases creates serious psychological problems and people look down upon a victim of rape, whereas a woman who has gone through such a traumatic experience needs social and emotional support. Moreover, the rape victim has to undergo a process which is not pleasant for her in life. Our society has to be changed as there are many instances where the society advises the rape victim to forget the matter despite spending expenses in filing case. Law must demonstrate that it will come down with a heavy hand on offenders.
The Government, as far as the women/s problems are concerned has shown an insensitive attitude. There are many rape cases which have become the headlines of the leading newspapers but the timely actions are not taken. One should see that by giving a deterrent punishment to the rapist the evil of rape would not be solved. Once it is proved that the person is guilty of rape he should be hanged and the women for their self-defence should learn the art of Karate, Judo and if not at least they should keep a chilli powder in order to escape from the rapist.
Vinod C. Dixit
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
