Suman was the eldest of four children of Ranvir Singh, a shepherd, and his wife Rami. A student of class IX, she was the first and the only literate member of her family and used to stay in a hostel. Last November, while returning to her home in Churu district, she was raped by two school drop outs, Zaqir and Ahmed. Area constable Mohinder Swamy accepted a bribe from the assailants and warned the girl against speaking out. A few days later Suman committed suicide and was cremated without post mortem. As the news spread, people took to streets and it was only then, a month later, that a case was registered, the accused was arrested and Swamy and the area SHO were suspended.  | | | | | 33.6% OF VICTIMS WERE BELOW 18 | | 87% CAME FROM POOR FAMILIES | | 95% OF VICTIMS ILLITERATE | | 90% OF ACCUSED KNOWN TO VICTIMS | | 63% ACCUSED WERE BETWEEN 18-30 | | ONLY 3% HAD A CRIMINAL RECORD | | 37% OF BOTH VICTIMS AND CULPRITS | | WERE FROM SCHEDULED CASTES/TRIBES | | LOVE, JEALOUSY AND LUST WERE TO BLAME IN OVER 40% OF THE CASES | | Such is the plight of the poor, specially girls, in society that it takes less and less courage these days for any man to outrage their modesty. In fact, the findings of a study on rape cases-both victims and accused in Rajasthan over the past three years, obtained exclusively by INDIA TODAY, show conclusively that rape victims are getting younger. And poorer. The age profile of victims is coming down, with young girls below 18 being the favoured target, and a majority belong to poorer, illiterate sections of society. The findings, which are a grim reminder of the Noida mass killings, were compiled by Rajasthan's Director General of Police A.S. Gill He prepared a detailed breakup of rape victims and their accused in the 3,081 rape cases that took place in the state in the past three years. The findings can add to our understanding of the various dimensions of rape and the role the police need to play. The most revealing aspect of the study is the changing profile of rape victims. The number of victims below 18 years was 33.6 per cent of the total rape victims in 2005, a sharp increase from a mere 4.6 per cent in 2003. The corresponding percentage in the 18-30 year age group dropped from 71.52 per cent in 2003 to 48.43 per cent in 2005. This was similar to the national trend. In 2002, 15.8 per cent of victims were less than 18. In 2005, that figure had risen to 22.19 per cent while the percentage of victims between 18 and 30 years dropped from 65.3 per cent to 58.87 per cent. The other conclusive finding is that poorer sections of society are prime targets. The number of victims who came from illiterate homes was 95 per cent in 2005, a significant rise from 2003. Psychoanalysts believe that the conditions in which this social strata live make them vulnerable to inducements. Similarly, among the accused too, at least 91 per cent were illiterate and 85 per cent came from poor families. More than 63 per cent of them were aged between 18 and 30 years, up from 54 per cent in 2003. Another significant finding was that of the 3,413 culprits, only 107 had a criminal background which makes preventive steps in reducing rape virtually meaningless. More crucial is conviction for rape which, women activists feel, should act as a deterrent. "Families and social groups must focus on these lower strata of society to create awareness amongst younger girls on how to tackle youths who try to be too friendly with them," concludes Gill. Sound advice but sadly too late for many victims. -By Rohit Parihar Index |
"The profile of rape victims is changing. Younger girls are now becoming the target."
