New Delhi: Amid the country’s outrage over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor in Kolkata, the statistics of rape, paint a grim picture. As per the annual National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, between 2017 and 2022, a total of 1.89 lakh rape cases were reported in India, involving 1.91 lakh victims. In at least 1.79 lakh cases, the rapist was a known person while in 9,670 it was someone the victim did not know.
India reported 86 cases of rapes daily on an average between 2017 and 2022 and, in 82 cases, the rapist was known to the woman, according to an analysis of official data by News18. Further calculation says every hour, India recorded almost four rape cases and in more than three of these, the rapist was known to the victim.
Further, the highest number of rape victims in India are between the ages of 18 and 30 years, the analysis shows. Of the 1.89 lakh cases, 1.13 lakh were from this age group. So, of the 86 rapes recorded every day, 52 are from the age group between 18 and 30 years. The remaining cases, 35 per day, could be from any age, the analysis shows.
Since 2014, NCRB started collecting data regarding sexual harassment at workplace under the category of insult to the modesty of women (Section 509 of IPC) at office premises.
In the initial years, 2014 and 2015, the reports had two different categories — sexual harassment at office premises and another was places related to work. However, post 2016, the categories were merged as sexual harassment ‘at work or office premises’.
Between 2014 and 2022, at least 4,231 cases of sexual harassment at work or office premises were recorded. Initially, the number of cases of sexual harassment on office premises was few but that from other places related to work was higher. Post 2017, every year, more than 400 cases were reported under the clubbed category.
In 2014, 2015 and 2016, the NCRB also revealed the number of rapes by employers or co-workers. In the three years, 1,795 cases of rape by employers or co-workers were recorded – almost two every day. Later, the reports clubbed several categories with employers or co-workers, including family friends.
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, mandates all workplaces having more than 10 workers to constitute Internal Committees (ICs) for receiving complaints of sexual harassment of women at workplaces. The aggrieved woman or any person authorised on her behalf can file a written complaint of sexual harassment.
