I don’t mean to start the new year on such a negative note but I couldn’t help myself.
I am appalled.
I recently read about a father in New Delhi, India who is outraged at the gang rape and subsequent death of his daughter. He is demanding the death penalty for the 5 suspects. While I’m not a fan of the eye-for-an-eye approach, I can certainly understand his outrage and pain. Especially in a country where rape is hidden, the woman is often blamed for the attack and police will often refuse to accept complaints. In the rare event that a case makes it to court, it “can drag on for years.”
The young woman and her boyfriend were attacked for hours, on a private bus, while it drove through police check points and then dumped, naked on the side of the road. She fought back, biting three of her assailants. Yet, even her fighting spirit could not protect her. She died from internal injuries in a hospital, 16 days after her vicious assault.
Protesters demonstrate in front of the New Delhi police headquarters.
The people of India are outraged, demanding justice for her and for all the other victims who have been cast aside due to archaic law and attitude. Protesters hold signs: “Punish Police. Sensitize Judiciary, Eradicate Rape.”
They are fed up with the treatment of women in this horrific crime. They are standing up, demanding protection and justice.
In a part of the world where a rape is reported once every 20 minutes.
Three times an hour.
It turns my stomach.
It made me curious, in our developed and enlightened country, a place where rape is prosecuted and women have a reasonable sense of support from our judicial system, how often rape occurs here.
Are you ready?
Are you sitting down?
Thirty times an hour.
Excuse me.
I’m going to go throw up now.
Get involved. Check out Rainn (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.
Theycallmejane's Blog 
That’s not a good statistic. Perhaps it’s easier to accept that it happens elsewhere, that elsewhere needs to fight for justice, a change of standards and attitudes rather than accept that the problem is happening on our doorsteps, that the people around us aren’t as enlightened or as noble as we’d like to think. But the most important thing we can do, perhaps it’s the only thing we can do, is never allow ourselves to behave or even think in such ways and to teach our children the same standard. As well as educating the people around us through love, respect, tolerance and example. My heart goes out to victims, male or female, of any abuse, at any time of their life. Let’s remember to be human. 🙂
As you can imagine, this was devastating news for our household. But I have heard countless tales from my husband’s side of the family–women–who are groped DAILY on public transport or in the street. It’s horrible.
No words.
Who even ever thinks it’s okay? That they can do this?
No need to apologize. Thank you for talking about this when it would have been an easier way to simply ignore it. it’s depressing and yet I’m encouraged to see that the people, especially the women, stood up and said Enough is enough. A lady on NPR said, soon no woman is going to want to give birth to girls, and the men would have been left by themselves to deal with.
Something disgraceful also happened on our soil. Did you hear about this?http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/01/inside-anonymous-hacking-file-steubenville-rape-crew/60502/
I wanted to scream after reading through it…
Thank you Jane. For putting in writing what many of us have only thought. Now. What are we going to do about it? I am at a loss…
I’m not trying to play down what is a horrible statistic by any measure. However it occurs to me that a positive here is that these statistics are probably about how frequently these acts are reported.
The fact that the numbers here are so high *might* be because women here actually feel empowered to report it – and that’s a good thing and a step in the right direction. I’m betting in India there’s a huge number not being reported because either nothing will be done or it would actually get the victim in trouble.
I was thinking about this yesterday….not that the high rate is acceptable, but it is true that possibly the # here is high because we feel safer reporting the crime than in other places. Still…way too much disrespect ending in crime…here and elsewhere.
The Pollyanna in me thought the same thing. But then, i was entirely and completely disgusted, that reported or not, rape happens at an unacceptable rate. I know I’m preaching to the choir here. I know you all agree with me. But I need to shout it again, all the same.
All sexual abuse is unacceptable. We need to strive for a world devoid of abuse. Of any kind.
This particular story has unravelled my own world. I’ve visited India several times and I must confess there were times when I didn’t feel comfortable on public transport.
But my heritage is more than this one story. There are several places of goodness, but somehow, I fear, the remainder of the world will only focus on this brutality.
Thank you for writing this Jane. You talk about issues that need a voice.
I would imagine the statistics would be as high here in the UK too. Horrendous. And with 2 teenage girls I think I have a right to be worried.
This is disgusting on so many levels. My heart breaks for the woman and her family. For the women all over the world whose lives are destroyed because they are raped. For the families who live somewhere that undervalues women’s lives.
Yes, a rape is reported every two minutes in the U.S.
And less than 1% of the rapists will spend a month or more in jail. That’s right, 99% of assailants get less that that pathetic slap on the wrist for their crime.
I’m sorry that it took this woman’s death, her level of education and wealth to make her country and ours take notice. Something big needs to happen.
To bad U.S. lawmakers had the chance to do something big for us and our daughters but just refused to care. Just before that poor woman died . http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/04/opinion/murray-violence-against-women-act/index.html