Statistics have a way of depersonalising social reality. Numbers don't tell the human story. Take the rape statistics of India: a rape is recorded every 54 minutes; a case of molestation or sexual harassment happens every 38 minutes; 54 per cent of rapes take place during the day. And behind the data lies the story of shame and savagery, of fear and vulnerability. Certainly, there is something wrong with the Indian social behaviour, in cities and villages, and it cannot be blamed on the libido alone. The magnitude of the crime can only evoke outrage. That is why the response of Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani is quite understandable: "I feel the punishment for rape should be death" though he wants to get the views of political parties and state governments on the issue. At one level, this moral extremism is not out of place. The crime is so heinous that the criminal's life can only contribute to pain and loss to others-so let the brute die. In this conservative view, social perversion is the main enemy of moral order and the government is obliged to adopt a merciless policy against crime.

Then there is that age-old question: Does law, or for that matter, the severest of punishment, prevent crime? It does not. Then there is that thing about capital punishment. The socially compassionate will argue that death penalty is murder by the state-and a crime is a crime no matter who commits it. Unfortunately, these conflicting moral positions are not going to help the rape victim, who in this country is caught between two indifferent forces-the rapist and the legal system-and it is a space where moral arguments provide little solace. In most cases, it is a double humiliation for the victim: it is for the sexually abused to prove that they have indeed been raped. This process is not so easy-the Indian police are not a pleasant lot to deal with and their investigative skills are far from exemplary. So, what can the state do in such a worst-case scenario? See that the victim gets a fair deal and ensure that the system isn't more favourable to the criminal-who invariably is a sociopath. Since no punishment can eradicate the crime, the best possible way is to make the existing laws work. For the state can't overlook the simple truth: a society that denies its women dignity and honour is a sick society.