Lok Sabha Question No. 3243 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-05
Subject: Crime against Women
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Bheemrao Baswanthrao Patil, Shiromani Ram, Khan Saumitra

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3243

TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.08.2022

## CRIME AGAINST WOMEN

## 3243.   SHRI B.B. PATIL:

SHRI RAMSHIROMANI VERMA: SHRI SAUMITRA KHAN:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  cases  of  crime  against  women  have  increased  rapidly  across  the country especially in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal;
- (b) if so, the steps taken by the Government to prevent such crimes against women;
- (c) the details of assistance/ facilities being provided by the Government to women who are victims of dowry related harassment and domestic violence; and
- (d) the measures being taken by the Government to ensure fair investigation by the officers and impart special training to such officers to tackle the matter related to domestic violence and dowry related harassment?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) to (d): The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles and publishes the data on crime against women which is available for the year upto 2020. The data published by NCRB shows a declining trend in the crime against women which was 3,71,503 in the  year  2020,  as  against  4,05,326  in  the  year  2019.  Similarly,  the  said  data  shows declining trend of crime again women in the State of Uttar Pradesh as the total number of crime against women was 59,853 in the year 2019 as compared to 49,385 in the year 2020.  However,  in  the  State  of  West  Bengal,  the  data  shows  increase  in  the  crime against women in the State as the number of cases registered in the year 2019 and 2020 are 29,859 and 36,439, respectively.

As per data, there is a declining trend in crime relating to marital violence such as dowry death (S. 304B Indian Penal Code), cruelty by husband or his relatives (S. 498A  Indian  Penal  Code),  dowry  harassment  (the  Dowry  Prohibition  Act),  domestic violence  (the  Protection  of  Women  from  Domestic  Violence  Act)  as  indicated  in  the following table:

| Marital Offences                                                             | Marital Offences                              | 2019     | 2020     |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|----------|----------|
| Cruelty by Husband or His Relatives (S. 498A)                                | Cruelty by Husband or His Relatives (S. 498A) | 1,24,934 | 1,11,549 |
| Dowry Harassment (under the Dowry Act, 1961)                                 | Prohibition                                   | 13,307   | 10,366   |
| Dowry Death (S. 304B IPC)                                                    | Dowry Death (S. 304B IPC)                     | 7,141    | 6,966    |
| Domestic Violence (under the Protection of from Domestic Violence Act, 2005) | Women                                         | 553      | 446      |

'Police'  and  'Public  Order'  are  State  subjects  under  the  Seventh  Schedule  to  the Constitution of India and the responsibility to maintain law and order, protection of life and  property  of  the  citizens  including  investigation  and  prosecution  of  crime  against women rests primarily with the respective State Governments and they are competent to deal with such crimes.

The Constitution of India guarantees the right to equality and also provides for positive interventions by the State to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and to ensure  their  holistic  development  and  empowerment.  Keeping  in  mind  the  vision articulated in Constitutional provisions, there has been enactment of various legislations such as the Indian Penal Code, the Criminal Law Amendments of 2013 and 2018, the Dowry  Prohibition  Act,  1961,  the  Protection  of  Women  from  Domestic  Violence  Act, 2005  and  the  Prohibition  of  Child  Marriage  Act,  2006  which  addresses  the  issue  of gender inequality, discrimination and violence faced by women.

Further, the Government of India has introduced various schemes and projects like One Stop Centres (OSCs) for assisting women affected by violence and in distress; Women Helplines  (WHL)  running  on  toll  free  telephonic  short  code  181;  Beti  Bachao  Beti Padhao  (BBBP);and  Shakti Sadan  for women  facing difficult circumstances or destitution under umbrella scheme of Mission Shakti.

In addition, several projects/ schemes are implemented by Central Government through other  Ministries  /Departments  /Implementing  Agencies  under  Nirbhaya  Fund  which include  Emergency  Response  Support  System  (ERSS)  which  is  a  pan-India  single number  (112)/  mobile  app  based  system  for  emergencies;  a  cyber-crime  reporting portal to report obscene content; Safe City Projects in 8 cities (Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai,  Delhi,  Hyderabad,  Kolkata,  Lucknow  and  Mumbai)  including  infrastructure, technology adoption and capacity building in community through awareness programmes;  training  and  skill development  programs  for  Investigation Officers, Prosecution  Officers  and  Medical  Officers;  distribution  of  Sexual  Assault  Evidence Collection (SAEC) Kits to States/ UTs; establishment of State of Art DNA Laboratory at CFSL,  Chandigarh;  assistance  to  24  States/  UTs  to  strengthen  Forensic  Science Laboratories; setting up of 1023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) including exclusive POCSO  (e-POCSO)  Courts  for  speedy  disposal  of  cases  of  rape  and  cases  under POCSO Act; setting up/ strengthening of Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) in all districts  of  the  country;  setting  up/  strengthening  of  Women  Help  Desks  (WHDs)  at Police  Stations  etc.  The  Government  has  also  put  in  place  Investigation  Tracking System  for  Sexual  Offences,  an  online  analytic  tool  for  tracking  and  monitoring  of investigation. A National Database of Sexual Offenders (NDSO) has also been created.

Under Nirbhaya Fund, Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) has also undertaken several initiatives, which, inter-alia includes training and skill development programs for Investigation Officers, Prosecution Officers and Medical Officers, distribution of Sexual Assault Evidence Collection (SAEC) Kits to States/ UTs.  BPR&D has  also  prepared  Standard  Operating  Procedures  (SoPs)  for  'Women  Help  Desk  at Police  Stations'  to  ensure  smooth  functioning  of  Women  Help  Desks  by  focusing  on four critical components viz. infrastructure, training, human resource development and response  mechanism.   A  book  titled  'Women's  Safety  and  Security-  a  Handbook  for First  Responders  and  Investigators  in  the  Police'  has  also  been  prepared  for  the purpose of prevention and investigation of crime against women with specific reference to  the  crime  of  sexual  assault,  which  includes  investigation,  victim  compensation and rehabilitation.   Emphasis  has  been  laid  upon  appropriate  behavioural  and  attitudinal skills of the police in course of prevention and detection of crime against women and children  and  interaction  with  victims  of  crime.   Webinars  on  women  safety  with sensitivity,  gender sensitization of police personnel etc. have also been organized by BPR&D.

Ministry  of  Women  and  Child  Development  has  engaged  the  services  of  National Institute  of  Mental  Health  and  Neuro  Sciences  (NIMHANS)  for  providing   basic  and advanced training under the project named 'Stree Manoraksha' to the staff of One Stop Centres (OSCs) across the country on  handling psycho-social and mental health care needs to support the women facing violence and women in distress.

Further, the National Commission for Women (NCW), in addition to handling complaints through regular mode, helps women in distress through a dedicated WhatsApp Number at  7827170170 to provide an online support system to women in distress. NCW also takes  cognizance  of  the  grievances  relating  to  domestic  violence  reported  in  social media. The complaints received by NCW are acted upon by coordinating with victims, police and other authorities to provide immediate assistance.

These  measures  have  resulted  in  positive  outcomes  such  as  reduction  in  the percentage  of  women  aged  18  to  49  years  who  have  ever  experienced  spousal violence  from  31.2%  as  per  National  Family  Health  Survey  (NFHS)-4  (2015-16)  to 29.3% in NFHS-5 (2019-20), increase in the sex ratio of total population (females per 1000 males), and extension of support to more than 75 lakh women through One Stop Centres and Women Helplines across the country till March, 2022.

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