In 14 years, sexual offences against women in Gujarat rose by 82%

Times of India: Ahmedabad: Sunday, February 21, 2016.

In a state considered safe for women, an RTI query has revealed that sexual offences against women had risen sharply (by 82%) in the past 14 years.

This was revealed by the reply to a query just a day before Saturday when the world will observe Social Justice Day.

The reply has been given by Sujata Majmudar, superintendent of police (admin) in CID (crime), in response to an RTI application filed by city-based human rights activist Kaushik Parmar. The reply says that 235 cases of rape were registered in the year 2001; this rose to 428 in 2015 - a rise of 82% in 14 years.

Similarly, cases of harassment also increased in the past 14 years, 13 of which were years when Narendra Modi was Gujarat chief minister. In 2001, 803 cases of harassment and 91 cases of molestation were reported. This increased to 1,238 cases of harassment and 32 of molestation, in 2015.

Since 2010, as many as 18,024 cases of human rights violation were registered in the state. The maximum number of cases (3,707) in a single calendar year was registered in 2013. In 2015, till mid-July, 1,648 cases of human rights violation were recorded.

Parmar said that the figures are shocking. "The actual figures could be much higher because not all cases are registered because of the apathy of the police and the administration," he said.

Interestingly, the RTI reply was in response to Parmar's query about steps taken to curb cases of sexual offences. The reply said the government had observed women's empowerment fortnight from August 1 to 15. It also said that various women-oriented programs had been launched in the state.