Assaults On Women 

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, one woman is raped every 20 minutes in India. Incidents of reported rape increased 3% from 2011 to 2012. Incidents of reported incest rape increased 46.8% from 268 cases in 2011 to 392 cases in 2012

Foeticidea and infanticid

Where there is an economic or cultural preference for sons, the pregnancy diagnostic tools can lead to female foeticide

School going age

Many Girls are not given the access to and completion of proper primary and secondary education as compared to boys and otherwise may also suffer from discrimination at the hands of parents and teachers in their upbringing.

Adolescence 

Many adolescent girls become victims of sexual abuse both on internet and otherwise, exploitation and violence, acid attacks, rape ,early marriage, or even HIV/AIDS.

Marriage 

Many women are tortured physically, economically and emotionally after their marriage by their husband and inlaws

Motherhood 

Women are sometimes not provided proper medical care and healthy food during and after her pregnancy .She is often compelled to abort a female foetus

Workplace 

GBV can be any act of violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women and girls, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.

Crimes Against Women

Sexual harassment 

Sexual harassment refers to any form of unwelcome sexual behaviour which is offensive, humiliating and intimidating. Further, it is against the law to sexually harass anyone. Over the years, sexual harassment has taken a lot of time to be recognized as a real issue. Nonetheless, it is a start that can protect people from this harassment. The essay on sexual harassment will take you through the details.

essay on sexual harassment

Sexual Harassment and Its Impacts

Sexual harassment comes in many forms and not just a single one. It includes when someone tries to touch, grab or make other physical contacts with you without your consent. Further, it also includes passing comments which have a sexual meaning.

After that, it is also when someone asks you for sexual favours. Leering and staring continuously also counts as one. You are being sexually harassed when the perpetrator displays rude and offensive material so that others can see it.

Another form is making sexual gestures towards you and cracking sexual jokes or comments towards you. It is also not acceptable for someone to question you about your sexual life or insult you with sexual comments.

Further, making an obscene phone call or indecently exposing oneself also counts as sexual harassment. Sexual harassment can impact a person severely. It may stress out the victim and they may suffer from anxiety or depression.

Moreover, it can also cause them to withdraw from social situations. After that, the victim also starts to lose confidence and self-esteem. There may also be physical symptoms like headaches, sleep problems and being not able to concentrate or be productive.

What Can We Do

No one in this world deserves to go through sexual harassment, whether man or woman. We all have the right to live freely without being harassed, bullied or discriminated against. It is the reason why sexual harassment is illegal.

To begin with, the person may try talking to the offender and convey their message regarding their unwanted behaviour. Further, it is also essential to stay informed about this issue. Make sure to learn about the policies and procedures regarding sexual harassment in your workplace, school or university.

Further, try to document everything to help you remember the name of the offenders and the incidents. Similarly, make sure to save any evidence you get which will help with your complaint. For instance, keeping the text messages, emails, photos or more.

Most importantly, always try to get external information and advice from people who will help you if you decide to file a lawsuit. Likewise, never deal with it on your own and share it with someone you trust to lighten your load.

Acid Attack 

Today, acid attacks are reported in many parts of the world, though more commonly in developing countries. Between 1999 and 2013, a total of 3,512 Bangladeshi people were attacked with acid,[13][14][15] with the rate of cases declining by 15%–20% every year since 2002 based on strict legislation against perpetrators and regulation of acid sales.[16][17] In India, acid attacks are at an all-time high and increasing every year, with 250–300 reported incidents every year, while the "actual number could exceed 1,000, according to Acid Survivors' Trust International".[18][19]

Although acid attacks occur all over the world, this type of violence is most common in South Asia.[20] The UK has one of the highest rates of acid attacks per capita in the world,[21] according to Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI).[22] In 2016, there were over 601 acid attacks in the UK based on ASTI figures, and 67% of the victims were male, but statistics from ASTI suggest that 80% of victims worldwide are women.[23] Over 1,200 cases were recorded over the past five years. From 2011 to 2016, there were 1,464 crimes involving acid or corrosive substance in London alone.

RAPE 

Rape is the fourth most common crime against women in India.

 According to the 2019 annual report of the National Crime Records Burau (NCRB), 32033 rape cases were registered across the country, or an average of 88 cases daily, slightly lower than 2018 when 91 cases were registered daily. Of these, 30,165 rapes were committed byperpetrators known to the victim (94.2% of cases), a high number similar to 2018. The share of victims who were minors or below 18 - the legal age of consent - stood at 15.4%,own from 27.8% in 2018. On the other hand, rapes by juveniles remained high in India with 3 minors being arrested for rape, assault and attempted violence on women and girls each day in 2019.

India has been characterised as one of the "countries with the lowest per capita rates of rape".[9][10][11][12] The government also classifies consensual sex committed on the false promise of marriage as rape.The willingness to report rapes have increased in recent years, after several incidents received widespread media attention and triggered local and nationwide public protests.

This led the government to reform its penal code for crimes of rape and sexual assault.

According to NCRB 2019 statistics, Rajasthan reported the highest number of rapes among Indian states. Other states in the hindi heartland region, across North India, such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Chhattisgarh, also have the highest incidence of sexual violence against women.

Among metropolitan cities, the national capital of Delhi continued to have the highest incidence of rape at 1253 cases in 2019,[22][23] while Jaipur had the highest rape rate (per 100,000 population).

Obscenity and pornography

Pornography is printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity, intended to stimulate sexual excitement or seems lewd from a responsible reader standpoint.. Pornography is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purpose of sexual arousal. Pornography may be presented in a variety of media, including books, magazines, postcards, photographs, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video, and video games, websites. Increased use of information technology, such as Internet and communication devices has led to proliferation of illegal websites containing obscene and pornographic materials.Obscenity and pornography have not been specifically defined under any Act in India but The Indian Penal Code, 1860, The Information Technology Act, 2000, The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, deal with obscenity and pornography and make publishing or transmission, sale of obscene and pornographic materials as punishable offences under various porovisions.

Sections 

1.  292,293,294,354,354A,354B,354C,509 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

2.  Sections 66E, 67,67A, 67B of the Information Technology Act, 2000

3.  Section 6 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986

Domestic violence 

While cases of sexual assault and rape might grab headlines, it is domestic violence that is the top crime Indian women faced in 2019. Of the total 4.05 lakh crimes against women registered by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) during 2019, 1.26 lakh (over 30%) were that of domestic violence. Of these, the highest reported cases were from Rajasthan (18,432) followed by Uttar Pradesh (18,304).

The other gendered crimes against women are sexual assault registered under the Indian Penal Code as 'assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty’ with over 20% cases and kidnapping and abduction of women with almost 18% cases. Of the 4 lakh registered cases, 8% were those of rape. The crime rate registered per lakh women population is 62.4 in 2019 in comparison with 58.8 in 2018.

Activists say that it has been difficult to garner attention for domestic violence cases because these happen inside the privacy of a home and often go unreported or are brushed under the carpet by the police, healthcare workers and legal workers.

NGO SNEHA programme director Dr Nayreen Daruwala says domestic violence “is endemic and it is everywhere.”

“However, very often minor injuries on victims like burns are ignored or recorded as accidents,” says Daruwala who heads the programme on prevention of violence against women and children for SNEHA.

Activists say that the pandemic has made the situation much worse with women unable to find help to report intimate partner violence.