JOIN USThe preliminary report of the House Committee on Safety of Women and Children has drawn attention to Karnataka’s poor performance in bringing to justice those charged in sexual assault cases.
It reveals that lack of co-ordination among various government departments is among the major reasons for the state’s abysmally low conviction rate and its failure to prevent sexual crimes. Eliminating sexual assault is not easy at the best of times as such crimes are rooted in deeply entrenched misogynist social attitudes. Social ostracism of survivors of sexual crimes prevents many from reporting assault. It is unfortunate that in the few cases where women do report sexual assault, they are defeated in their quest for justice by government departments, who are often working at odds with each other and officials, who lack awareness of rules and regulations on sexual crimes. The effort to prevent sexual crimes would benefit immensely through greater consultation among various government departments. For instance, the police should be working with the Department for Women and Child Development and Social Welfare in framing rules to prevent sexual crimes. Such lack of coordination between various departments was visible when the government was getting schools to install CCTVs and implement other measures to prevent sexual assault on children on school campuses and buses.
The House committee report also points to the failure of authorities to protect witnesses. The latter turn hostile under pressure and intimidation from the accused. As a result cases often fall through. Protection of survivors of sexual crimes and witnesses of these crimes should be given priority. This will boost conviction rates, which currently stand at a shocking 3 per cent in rape cases, for instance.The report has drawn attention to the continuing use of the ‘two finger test’ in rape cases, although this practice is banned in the country. Used during colonial times to establish virginity, this is a highly controversial and scientifically discredited test, which violates the victim’s right to privacy, dignity and physical and mental integrity. That this test is being used as proof of sexual intercourse and deciding on this deeply flawed basis whether or not rape happened and often to even question the victim’s moral character is a damning indictment of the Karnataka government’s lackadaisical, ill-informed and irresponsible approach to delivering justice in cases of sexual crimes.Announcing rules for others to follow is not enough. The Karnataka government must get its act together to prevent and punish sexual crimes. It requires a massive change in the mindset and working of officials.