India is now placed 128th out of 177 nations in the Women, Peace, and Security Index, which puts it in the fourth quintile for women's safety. Despite the nation's legislative accomplishments, this rating demonstrates persistent issues pertaining to women's security. It is possible to get insight into the evolution of legal frameworks and sociological structures by comparing the safety of women in India with that of Europe and Russia over various historical times.
Ancient Times
India: Women occupied important roles in ancient Indian culture, particularly during the Vedic era. She was a respected member of society, a scholar, a philosopher. Still, women were limited to household responsibilities in later times due to the pervasiveness of patriarchy and inflexible gender norms.
Europe: Women's rights were restricted and they were mostly employed in household jobs in classical Greece and Rome. Greek women, particularly those in Athens, were subject to rigid patriarchal structures, whereas Roman women had some greater privileges but remained inferior to males.
Russia: Women's responsibilities in ancient Russia (Kievan Rus) were primarily shaped by family and religion. They had limited independence outside of these responsibilities and were expected to marry and run houses.
Medieval Times
India: Women's position significantly declined in India throughout the medieval era. Child marriage, veiling and seclusion, and the practise of Sati (widow immolation) became commonplace. Women were mainly kept out of leadership and education, and their positions were severely limited.
Europe: Women were subject to male authority and there were strong gender conventions in medieval Europe. The majority of women's duties were domestic, however some became well-known as queens, nuns, or abbesses. On the other hand, incidents of violence against women—such as sexual assault and domestic abuse—were frequent and frequently went unpunished.
Russia: The freedoms enjoyed by women in medieval Russia were restricted. Women were supposed to submit to their husbands and fathers, and patriarchal standards were upheld by the Orthodox Church. But there was influence for affluent women, particularly in the royal court.
Colonial Times Prior to Independence
India: India experienced attempts to change the position of women during British colonial rule, with legislation encouraging female education and outlawing Sati. But problems for women persisted, especially in rural areas: child marriage, violence associated to dowries, and limited educational opportunities.
Europe: Women in Europe started to seek additional rights, particularly during the Industrial Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment. As the suffragette movement gained strength, women in a number of European nations were granted the right to vote by the late 19th and early 20th century.
Russia: Women's rights were extremely limited in Russia before to the 1917 revolution. But the Bolshevik Revolution brought forth significant legal reforms that gave women equal rights, including the ability to vote and labour. But in reality, gender norms continued to be dominant in many fields.
Indian Post-Independence Era:
India's Constitution, which was adopted following the country's independence in 1947, gave women equal rights, the freedom to voting, owning property, and legal protection. Domestic abuse, honour killings, and dowry deaths continued against women in spite of these legal protections. Legal improvements addressing sexual assault and rape were brought about by the 2012 Nirbhaya case, but their execution is done.
Europe: Following World War II, major legislative and social changes pertaining to women were enacted in European nations. Gender equality has emerged as a major political objective in several nations, providing women with enhanced safeguards against assault, discrimination, and inequity in the job.
Russia: While women are officially equal under the law, they nonetheless face significant obstacles due to concerns including domestic abuse, job discrimination, and low political representation. Post-Soviet Russia witnessed a return of conventional gender norms.
Modern Times
India: India continues to encounter obstacles in the way of women's safety, with high prevalence of gender discrimination, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Even though laws are in place to protect women, crimes including honour killings, rape, acid assaults, and trafficking nevertheless occur often. The fact that laws exist but are not always enforced or embraced by society is reflected in the Women, Peace, and Security Index.
Europe: Countries in Western Europe, especially those in Scandinavia, are routinely among the safest for women. These nations promote women's rights in their cultural norms, have strict laws against gender-based violence, and have advanced policies for gender equality. Though progress has been made, problems with gender inequality and domestic violence persist in Southern and Eastern European nations.
Russia: Progress in Russia has been uneven. Women still have legal rights, but there is a large domestic abuse problem that goes undetected.
Domestic abuse is pervasive and frequently goes undetected, even though women are still granted legal rights. Strong legal frameworks are lacking in the nation to address gender-based violence, and patriarchal values are nonetheless prevalent.
India's Crimes Against Women
The present state of women's safety in India is concerning. The news is frequently dominated by crimes including rape, honour killings, dowry deaths, acid assaults, and domestic abuse. Equal rights for women are guaranteed by law, but they are frequently not realized because of cultural and societal standards. Systemic failings contribute to widespread fear and mistrust among women, as seen by the rape and murder case at RG Kar Hospital.
India's Crimes Against Women: A Closer Look
1. Acid assaults: Frequently occurring in India, acid assaults are employed as a kind of retaliation, often directed upon women who turn down approaches from males or go against what society expects of them.
2. Domestic abuse: Because of peer pressure and shame-mongering fears, many women stay in violent relationships. The Domestic Violence Act of 2005 is not enforced enough.
3. Honor Killings: Families frequently commit honour killings against women who marry outside of their caste or religion, defying social norms.
4. Sexual Assault: According to studies, there is a rape in India every 20 minutes, demonstrating the prevalence of sexual violence. The shame or lack of family support prevents many instances from being reported.
5. Female femicide: Despite legal prohibitions on sex-selective abortion, ingrained societal predilections for boys lead to the selective abortion of female foetuses.
6. Child marriage and labour trafficking: Exploitation is a serious problem, especially for girls from underprivileged backgrounds. Even though it's forbidden, child marriage nevertheless occurs in several regions of India.
Violence Against Women in Hospital
Another type of gendered violence is medical violence, when women are frequently mistreated in hospitals or after childbirth. Examples of how women's rights are frequently disregarded at healthcare facilities include forced sterilizations, poor access to reproductive health services, and insensitivity to the needs of women un need of medical attention.
Individual Experiences and Collective Fear
In India, a lot of women talk about their own experiences with anxiety and insecurity. One such woman gave the example of being followed home. The bystander's involvement demonstrated how some men are eager to assist, but also how pervasive the feeling of
risk. Even with social attempts to ameliorate conditions, the frequency of such instances demonstrates the ingrained anxiety that many women experience.
Frequency of crime Against women in India
India continues to have a serious problem with crime against women, with numerous incidences being recorded all around the nation. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) states that there have been a lot more crimes against women recorded in the past several years, which is a result of both greater reporting and the ongoing nature of the problem.
428,278 recorded cases of crimes against women were recorded in 2021; this represents a rise of 15.3% over 2020. These charges include a broad spectrum of crimes, including:
1. Cruelty by husbands and relatives (domestic violence) - 31.8 percent of all cases
2. Assault against women with the intention of offending their decency- 20.8%;
3. A kidnapping and kidnapping of children-17.6%;
4. Rape; 7.4%
The data was till 2020 which demonstrates geographical variance, with the states with the largest number being Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra with amount of offenses that have been reported. When compared to other metropolitan hubs, cities like Delhi frequently record disproportionately high rates of violence against women.
Remember that many crimes against women go unreported because of societal shame, fear of reprisals, and mistrust of the judicial system. As a result, these numbers may only represent a part of the actual incidents.
Although there have been a number of initiatives to address the issue, including as awareness campaigns, legal changes, and tighter law enforcement, the issue is still largely a result of social views and gender imbalance.
Since 2020, there have been considerably more crimes against women in India, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB):
2020 saw the reporting of 371,503 offenses against women.
In 2021, there were 428,278 recorded offenses against women.
In 2022, there were 445,256 recorded crimes against women, or around 51 instances every hour.
The majority of crimes against women in 2022 were:
· Cruelty by husband or his relatives: 31.4%
· Kidnapping and abduction: 19.2%
· Assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty: 18.7%
· Rape: 7.1%
Delhi had the highest rate of crimes against women in the nation in 2022, with 14,247 cases—far more than the norm of 66.4—at 144.4. According to government data, the number of such instances in the nation's capital was 10,093 in 2020 and 14,277 in 2021.
While there have only been 179 recorded crimes against women in Sikkim, PoSCO incidents are increasing there, which is concerning for the local population. It is recommended that the Sikkim government implement stringent steps to reduce the number of POSCO cases in the state.
Conclusion
Using both historical and contemporary perspectives, a comparison of women's safety in Russia, India, and Europe finds that:• India's legal system has advanced, but public perceptions and shoddy law enforcement still stand in the way.• By enacting progressive legislation, advancing gender equality, and effectively combating gender-based violence, European nations—especially those in the North and West—have made their settings safer for women. Legal equality exists in Russia, but development is hampered by the country's strong patriarchal culture and inadequate protections for women.
Ensuring the efficient execution of legislation and modifying cultural attitudes towards women are crucial for enhancing women's safety in India.
(Views are personal: Email: krishakdasblic@gmail.com)