Crimes against women in India increased by 15.3 per cent in 2021, according to recently-released National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data.
Not only total number of cases registered but the crime rate also increased. The rate of cases registered per lakh women population increased to 64.5 in 2021 from 56.5 in 2020.
In the wake of these numbers, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Tuesday voiced its concerns. Crimes against women in Delhi increased by 41 per cent as compared to 2020.
DCW chief Swati Maliwal in a tweet noted the statistics and highlighted that women safety is on the manifesto of all political parties but these promises should reflect in ground realities too.
Most cases involve domestic abuse
A total of 4,28,278 cases of crimes against women were registered across India in 2021, marking an increase of 15.3 per cent from 2020.
Majority of cases under crime against women were registered under ‘Cruelty by Husband or His Relatives’ (31.8 per cent), followed by ‘Assault on Women with Intent to Outrage her Modesty’ (20.8 per cent), ‘Kidnapping and Abduction of Women’ (17.6 per cent), and ‘Rape’ (7.4%), according to the NCRB report.
Notably, the spike in the crimes has come amid the Covid-19 pandemic and most of the cases are of domestic abuse. It is in line with the global observations that note that domestic violence against women and girls has increased in the ongoing pandemic.
"Since the outbreak of Covid-19, emerging data and reports from those on the front lines, have shown that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified," said a United Nations report.
Delhi most unsafe metro in India
The NCRB report found Delhi to be the most unsafe metropolitan city for women across India.
Delhi recorded 13,892 cases of crimes against women in 2021, a significant surge of around 41 per cent compared to 2020 when the figure was 9,782. The NCRB report also stated that two minor girls were raped every day in 2021.
The cases of crimes against women in Delhi accounted for 32.20 per cent of total crimes in the category among all 19 metropolitan cities, according to the data.
In a second tweet, Maliwal shared a news report clipping and said that "it's essential to take strict steps to prevent Delhi's name from being harmed" because of crimes against women.
"In Delhi, an eight-month-old girl as well as a 90-year-old woman has been raped. DCW is working 24 hours to safeguard every woman. But this is not enought. All governments have to come together to protect daughters," said Maliwal in a tweet in Hindi.
(With PTI inptus)
