The rape and murder of a 31-year-old female medical resident has sparked protests across India as the country grapples with inadequate protections for women and growing Report on gender-based violence.
Protests erupted in Kolkata – the capital of the eastern Indian state of West Bengal – after the rape and murder of a woman at a medical school on August 9. Since then they have spread New Delhi is the capital of the country along with other states.
The trainee’s death is the latest of several High-profile recent incidents of gender-based violence In India, and this comes at a time when sexual violence is on the rise: According to the National Crime Records BureauThe number of rapes reported in 2022 increased by 20 percent compared to 2021.
The Indian government has implemented strict laws against sexual- and gender-based violence, as well as some National strategy to address thisAfter international criticism over the case of a young woman who was gang-raped and murdered on a bus in 2012. But as the current tragedy and other high-profile cases However, these laws have not ended India’s systemic problems with gender-based violence, and now, many protesters say they’ve had enough.
As part of the protest, Thousands of doctors (By some estimates, Thousands of doctors) have left their posts. Doctors across the country on Saturday- Mainly run by women – went on strike for 24 hours. For the past few days, some doctors such as Dr A group of doctors in New Delhi, As part of their protests they tried to set up limited free care, and most refused to see non-emergency patients. Government officials demanded that the protesting doctors return to work as usual; They refused until their demands were met.
Political leaders have sought justice. In a speech on August 15 – India’s Independence Day – Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without mentioning the Kolkata rapes and deaths, said that everyone in the country should “think seriously about the atrocities being committed against our mothers, sisters, daughters.” There should be an investigation.”
As of now, investigations into the rape and death are continuing, as has been called for anew India to strengthen legal protection For medical professionals and especially for women.
What we know about the death and rape of a student doctor in India
There are still many unknowns about the woman at the center of the protests, who, in accordance with Indian law, has not been publicly named. However, we do know that he worked at the government-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. He reportedly fell asleep in a hospital seminar room after a long shift as a trainee doctor. The next morning, August 9, his colleagues found his body.
The autopsy report showed signs of sexual abuse. A Volunteer with the policeIdentified as Sanjay Roy, he has been arrested on charges of murder. The woman’s parents Emphasize that more people were involved. taken by federal officials On the investigation of the case.
As investigations continue, doctors are protesting for safe conditions in their hospitals, including a law that would remove bail for those accused of assaulting doctors. They are also demanding speedy resolution of the case and an examination of the broader systemic problems with Indian gender-based violence, including the stigma around sexual assault in the country and distrust of local police. According to The Associated Press.
Religious and ethnic minorities are victims of gender-based and sexual violence by the state. Perhaps one of the most tragic historical cases In 1991 there was a gang rape by the Indian Army in Kashmir. More recently, in Jammu, a part of Kashmir that has been the site of government repression and popular uprisings, An 8-year-old girl In 2017 a former government official and police co-conspirators kidnapped her, held her in a Hindu temple, tortured, raped and murdered her. Police said the crime was part of an attempt To push the nomadic Muslim community where the girl was out of the area.
The infamous Modi government 11 men convicted of raping Muslim woman in 2002 Gujarat riots overturnedHowever, they were eventually sent back to jail. Modi was then the Chief Minister of Gujarat and the riots killed around 2,000 people, mostly Muslims. And events like women’s empowerment at the community level as well; In view of his case, Three doctors have been accused of raping a nurse In North India.
“Gender-based violence is very high in India,” Athar Zia, an anthropology professor at the University of Northern Colorado, told Vox. He added that this is by no means exclusive to India. “That’s the whole world.”
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