Sexual Assault on Tourist Sheds Light on Persistent Sexual Violence in India – Sky Bulletin

The harrowing experience of a tourist couple in India recently came to light through a heart-wrenching Instagram video. The female tourist—visibly distressed, her face displaying signs of physical abuse—shared her nightmare in the video with her partner by her side. “Seven men raped me, and they have beaten us and robbed us,” she asserted in Spanish, which was provided with English subtitles for viewers.

According to the victim’s account, the brutal attack took place in a secluded forest area in Jharkhand state’s Dumka district during the late hours of Friday. The couple was camping there with plans to proceed towards Nepal. They alleged that a group of seven men threatened them with knives, sexually assaulted the woman, and robbed them.

Following the traumatic incident, the couple who run a popular travel blog account on Instagram with over 200,000 followers, were discovered by local police. They were promptly taken to a hospital, where the woman confirmed to a doctor that she had been raped.

Jharkhand Police has verified the occurrence of the crime, and as of the beginning of the week, they had detained three of the accused assailants and continued the search for the remaining four suspects.

For privacy and dignity, the identity of sexual assault victims is generally protected and not disclosed to the public.

The incident has sparked a widespread uproar throughout the nation, putting the spotlight back on India’s ongoing struggle to put an end to sexual violence against women—a problem that seems to escalate with each passing year.

The National Crime Records Bureau’s latest data points to 31,516 reported rape cases in 2022, marking a disturbing increase of 20% from the previous year.

However, activists argue that such statistics only touch the surface of the issue. Due to societal stigma and an inherent distrust of the police, many instances of sexual violence go unreported, especially in rural settings where the well-being and honour of the family might overshadow an individual’s suffering

Mariam Dhawale, an advocate for women’s rights and a senior member of the All India Democratic Women’s Association, comments on the challenging environment victims face: “Often, the victims are victimized further with insults, and it makes it very difficult for them to report the crime to the police. In such cases, women think it is best to keep quiet,” she explained.

The infamous 2012 Delhi gang rape case brought sexual violence in India to the international forefront, leading to mass protests and legislative initiatives, including the establishment of fast-track courts and tougher penalties for offenders.

Changes to the rape law in 2013 included new measures against stalking, voyeurism, and a reduction in the age at which an individual can be tried as an adult to 16 from 18. Regrettably, even with these laws in place, activists lament the lack of government action in effectively deterring and prosecuting sex criminals.

Dhawale emphasized the frequent failures in police investigations that result in drawn-out legal battles without justice being served. Even when cases go to court, the conviction rate for rape remains deplorably low, with reports indicating it is often below 30%.

India’s pattern of sexual violence against foreigners has led to increased scrutiny by the international community. Examples include the 2022 rape of a British tourist in Goa and a recent case where an Indian-American woman alleged she was raped at a New Delhi hotel.

In a notable Supreme Court judgment, life sentences were reinstated this January for 11 men convicted of gang-raping a Muslim woman during widespread communal riots 20 years prior. This verdict came after the early release of the convicts in 2022, which was met with both public outrage and political controversy.

The wrestling community in India has also been grappling with accusations of sexual harassment, as reflected in the case against the head of the wrestling federation, a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party. Allegations of sexual misconduct led to his eventual indictment in court, which he has contested.

Dhawale remarked that despite the media coverage of high-profile rape cases, there remains a cultural tendency to minimize the seriousness of sexual harassment and violence against women in India.

“We are continuously on the road to protest, sometimes to get a single case registered. It shouldn’t be like that,” she concluded.