Crimes against women down in Karnataka, but justice eludes

Bengaluru: The number of crimes against women in Karnataka has come down marginally by close to 2% from 2023 and 2024, according to the data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The trend has been similar even in Bengaluru.

At 4,427, the data showed that cases of assault or use of criminal force against women with an intent to outrage her modesty are among the highest reported. Apart from that, dowry cases and cruelty by husband or his family continue to be reported.

While the data showed that the cases have come down, further analysis also revealed that the number of cases being disposed of at the courts has been very low. At the beginning of 2024, close to 92,217 cases related to crime against women were pending trial at the courts and of these, only 10,781 were disposed of. What’s more, of these, only 500 ended in a conviction and another 10,000 of them were acquitted.

Social activists working closely with women said that the number of cases has not come down on the ground, but the women were not willing to report them owing to poor conviction rates and other reasons.

“We don’t trust that the cases have actually come down. Many women are scared to report. Many of them are worried about how well the police will investigate. Many others don’t want to keep running around to courts since the cases are dragged for years,” said K S Vimala of Janavaadi Mahila Sanghatane.

The activists said that there was a lack of evidence and a missing will to develop a strong case in the police department and that it was the state’s responsibility to protect women. “There have been a few cases where the accused has been acquitted due to lack of evidence or some legal loophole. This should be addressed,” she said.