DM Monitoring
NEW DELHI: A string of rape cases in India has reignited debate over women’s safety and raised questions about why sweeping legal reforms and tougher punishments have failed to curb sexual violence.
Hundreds of students marched through the streets of New Delhi on Wednesday, shouting slogans and holding placards demanding stronger safety measures following the latest high-profile case.
In that incident on Monday, three men posing as police officers allegedly gang-raped a 17-year-old girl in a public park in the heart of the capital city, according to authorities.
The case evokes the 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old physical therapy student on a bus, which triggered nationwide protests and led to more robust laws against sexual violence.
But campaigners say those changes, which included a broadening of the definition of sexual offences and the introduction of stronger punishments for rape, have proven inadequate.
“Nobody is working on the actual solution, which is the mindset change,” women’s rights activist Yogita Bhayana told media.
“The mentality (is still) that it is a woman’s fault to be out of home late, or men policing women if they are seen with another man,” she said.
“It is outrageous that society still thinks this way.”
India recorded an average of 80 rape cases per day in 2024, according to the latest available official data. That compares with around 68 per day in 2012, the last year before the stronger laws came in.
Activists say the true number of sexual assaults is likely far higher because many victims never file a report, often fearing stigma in a deeply patriarchal society.
