Lawyers Question Progress on Women's Safety After Recent Rape Cases in New Delhi
Lawyers suggest that recent reported rape cases in New Delhi indicate that women's rights and safety remain under threat, prompting reflection on the progress made since the 2012 Nirbhaya case.
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According to the South China Morning Post, lawyers have stated that several recent reported rape cases in New Delhi demonstrate that the rights and safety of women continue to be violated.
Bhavya Gupta, a 25-year-old communications professional in the Indian capital, recalled that she was a Grade 4 student when the 2012 incident involving the gang rape and murder of a medical college intern on a private bus in New Delhi occurred. This event caused widespread national outrage and resulted in the execution of four attackers. Gupta recounted that her teacher addressed the matter with the girls in her classroom, leading to a change in the school uniform from skirts to pants. She also noted that adults around her discussed the case in a manner that blamed the victim, questioning why she was out late with a male companion, as if she held some responsibility.
The victim of the 2012 incident, who was 23 and later succumbed to her injuries, was referred to as Nirbhaya, which means the fearless one, because her identity could not be disclosed under Indian law. Analysts observed that the political consequences following the tragedy were immediate, with the then ruling Congress Party's losses at both local and national levels being attributed to the case.
Fourteen years later, the occurrence of another gang rape involving a 17-year-old girl, alongside a series of other comparable incidents, has led to questions regarding whether the nation has advanced since the Nirbhaya case.
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