BHOPAL (Madhya): Crimes against women and minor girls have been steadily rising over the years in the state and last year was no exception. Despite corona-induced lockdown, Madhya Pradesh witnessed 16 per cent rise in rape case in 2021, in comparison to year 2020, as per the government record.
Both 2020 and 2021 were witness to Covid-19 pandemic and in such a situation when decline was expected the rape cases instead went up. On an average more than 14 women and minors are raped every day in the state, according to government records. Shockingly, eight out of 14 victims are minor. Although POCSO Act is in force to protect the minors from molestation and rape, people with sick mentality seem to have no fear of law.
Cases of sexual assaults jumped by 16 % from 4,552 cases reported in 2020 to 5,279 next year. In 2018, the state reported 4594 rape cases, the figure climbed to 4669 next year. The rime came down marginally††and dropped to 4,552,††in 2020, however, the very next year the cases of women sexual assault witnessed 15.97 per rise as 5,279 cases of rape were reported in 2021.
Last year, as many as 2695 women above the age of 18 years were raped and the figure of sexual assault on minors stood at 3264. In this period, 178 women and 141 minors were gangraped.
20 minor girls were kidnapped every day
The cases of kidnapping too increased in the year 2021. The state reported 105 cases of women kidnapping, while as many as 7,581 minors were abducted in the same period. On an average more than 20 minor girls were kidnapped every day in the state.
23 women & minors faced eve teasing every day
The cases of eve easing stood at 9350 in 2018, the numbers dropped to 8,421 next year and it further came down to 7647 in 2020. But, in 2021 saw a rise in cases of eve teasing as the figure stood at 8,261. †On an average, more than 23 women and minors faced eve teasing every day. In the year 2021, as many as 5665 women had faced eve teasing and 2477 minors had faced the incident.
6 citizens to get ëMukhyamantri Asli Hero Sammaní
Additional Director General (ADG) women security Pragya Richa Shrivastava told Free Press more than 700 ëUrja Desksí are functioning in police stations across the state.
Urgent Relief and Just Action (URJA) helpdesk aims at providing immediate hearing, assistance and action on violence against women and women police personnel are in charge of these help desk. The number of cases filed with police shows that the women in the state have in police.
To bring awareness towards the crime against women and also to check crime, a programme ëMukhyamantri Asli Hero Samman' was instituted last year. Seventeen citizens of the state were awarded by the chief minister for saving the honour of women last January. This year again, the Madhya Pradesh government will honour six heroes with the award. †The director general of police selected the citizen for the award.
