Blog 7 - Bill on crime against women passes in India

A new bill was passed in India today, March 21, 2013 , that is intended to deter and punish sexual offenders, including men who stalk and harass women, and to make the police and prosecutors more responsive. This law expands the definition of rape, substantially increases the punishment for sex crimes like gang-rape, makes repeat offenders subject to death penalty, and includes stricter punishments for police officers who fail to properly register complaints of sexual assault. When this bill was passed people were shocked because India’s parliament has a reputation for being dysfunctional and unruly; this just goes to show that the voices of the protestors have been heard. Some critics, however, have argued that in the rush to pass this bill some major issues have been unaddressed. Nirmala Sitharaman, the National spokeswoman for the Bharatiya Janata Party, said, “it’s a step forward, but the government could have done more homework to bring about a stronger legislation.” Other women’s organizations said the law fell short of offering complete protection for women from sexual harassment; also, there was a provision that was rejected by the government that included child trafficking in to the definition of rape.

I agree that the law may have been passed too soon to have all of the information possible to make this as strong of legislation as it could potentially be. Now all they have to do is enforce this new bill to start making a change because it is not good enough to just pass a few laws. I do however think that this is a step in the right direction for women’s rights and helping to improve the quality of life for women in India. What I learned in class about movements and rallies really hit home when I read this article, because this just proves that it just takes some unity and some determination to make a difference in this World even if it is one step at a time. 

 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/world/asia/india-bill-toughens-penalties-for-attacks-on-women.html?_r=0

Concetta Katz

3/21/13 ; 10:24pm

Human Rights