5 rapes in city every day last yr, shows police data
NEW DELHI : At least five women were raped every day in the national Capital in 2018, annual crime data released by Delhi Police on Wednesday shows.
The data also shows that most rapes were allegedly committed by friends or those who were known to the rape survivor. The instances of the involvement of such people in rapes have also increased over the last two years.
In 2017, of the total rape cases, the cases in which friends and family friends were allegedly involved stood at 39% (802 cases). In 2018, the number of such cases rose to 44% (888 cases).
“These are cases in which the alleged rapist is either the woman’s partner or a friend. Most women in these cases were raped on the pretext of marriage or because the alleged rapists said they were in a relationship. This is a trend that is emerging over the years. But after registering an FIR in each case, we have solved 95% of the rape cases,” said a police officer.
The data also shows a marginal decline in the number of rape cases reported in 2018 — 2,043, compared to 2,057 in 2017.
Clinical psychologist, Rajat Mitra, who has been helping Delhi police with rape cases for more than a decade, says, “Rape is not always about the violent act. There are many cases in which women give in under duress and the belief that the man will marry her. Even today, in India we have men who use a certain degree of force and rape women in such cases.”
Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik attributed the decline in total rape cases and cases in which the perpetrator was completely unknown to the survivor to several factors such as the police’s focus on women’s safety.
“We informed civic agencies about dark stretches in the city and also identified the vulnerable areas. Directing companies to ensure safety of women employees while dropping them back to their homes has also helped in curbing crime against women,” Patnaik said.
“We have identified crimeprone road stretches across the city. Last year, the involvement of strangers in rape cases was more. It has come down due to our efforts. Even in the year ahead, our main focus is women’s safety,” the commissioner said.