Women’s lives matter! Slogans vs. Statistics

Women form the backbone of any society globally, and their safety should be the government’s top priority. Mere slogans cannot ensure women’s happiness unless there is a significant reduction in crimes against them.

In 2012, India saw thousands of its citizens protesting against the Nirbhaya rape case. The BJP-led NDA government capitalized on this situation and coined the slogan ‘Bahut hua naari par atyachaar, abki baar Modi sarkar’. However, after coming to power, they mismanaged the Nirbhaya Fund, which was announced by the Government of India in its 2013 Union Budget with a corpus of ₹100,000.
Indians voted them into power hoping that crimes against women would decline, if not end. Unfortunately, this slogan, like many other promises made in their 2014 manifesto, turned out to be empty rhetoric. In the 2014 manifesto, the key points were Employment, Price Rise, Smart Cities, Namami Gange, Manual Scavenging, etc. The percentage of young individuals with secondary education or higher among the total unemployed youth surged from 35.2% in 2000 to 65.7% in 2022. The prices of petrol and diesel have also skyrocketed: petrol increased from ₹74.10 (in 2013) to ₹94.72 (in 2024), and diesel rose from ₹51.97 (in 2013) to ₹87.66 (in 2024) (prices for Delhi, India).
Turning to Namami Gange (the flagship scheme of BJP), it remains another failed project of this government. Funds released by the Government of India to NMCG (National Mission for Clean Ganga) totaled ₹14,337.02 crore, but the funds expended by NMCG were only ₹14,259.99 crores. Despite these expenditures, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued a stern warning to authorities against bathing in the Ganga River due to high levels of faecal coliform bacteria.

Crime against Women (NCRB Data)
Crimes against women have not only surged over the past decade but have also increased on an hourly basis. A shocking response to a parliamentary question regarding missing women from India in the Rajya Sabha revealed that more than 13.13 lakh girls and women went missing from India from 2019 to 2021. This includes 10,61,648 women above 18 years of age and 2,51,430 girls under 18 years of age.
According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, the number of women who went missing from Gujarat, the home state of the Prime Minister of India, has been increasing year by year. Over 40,000 women went missing in Gujarat in the course of five years, as per official statistics. Specifically, in Gujarat, 7,105 women went missing in 2016, 7,712 in 2017, 9,246 in 2018, 9,268 in 2019, and 8,290 in 2020, raising the total number to 41,621 in five years.


(Data source Crime in India 2022)
In response to the unstarred question by Jamalpur MLA Imran Khedawala regarding crime against women in Gujarat, the state government tabled data in the assembly. Here are some key points:
• Gujarat reported an average of six cases of rape every day in 2022-23, with Ahmedabad city reporting one case per day.
• The figures show that there were 2,016 rape cases and 27 gang rape cases registered in the state in 2020-21. These figures rose to 2,229 and 32 respectively in 2021-22. In 2022-23, there were 2,209 cases of rape and 36 cases of gang rape registered.
• Of the 36 gang rape cases, 22 were reported in Surat and Ahmedabad cities, as well as in Jamnagar, Banaskantha, and Mehsana.
• The government stated that 194 accused named in the cases of rape are yet to be arrested.
• Responding to a related question, the home department said 67 accused have been absconding for six months, 63 have been absconding for between six months and a year, and 64 are at large for over two years.
• The government is making various efforts to apprehend these 194 accused, including regular surveillance of their residences and the homes of their relatives.
This reply by the state government indicates the grim state of affairs for women’s security, amounting to an alarming rate of six rapes per day in Gujarat state alone during the year 2022-2023.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1C-t342523eGvi97e6Y6X-iWx1xvAQzu0PA4ZXzfN6ho/edit?usp= 
The total crimes against women (IPC+SLL) in India have escalated to 445,256 (as per the Crime Report 2022), equivalent to nearly 51 FIRs every hour. This data shows an increase from 2021 and 2020.

Zero FIR for Crime against women:
In December 2012, the Manmohan Singh-led government formed a three-member committee under retired judge Justice JS Verma to recommend amendments to criminal law for fast-tracking trials and enhancing punishment in extreme cases of sexual assault against women. The panel submitted its report in 30 days, which was then presented to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in January 2013. Following the recommendations, the central government introduced the concept of ‘Zero FIR’ to eliminate complications related to determining the jurisdiction of the crime. Despite these provisions enforced by the previous government, the current BJP-led government has failed to comply, and the situation for women has worsened.
Despite provisions for easy reporting of crimes against women through Zero FIR, in the case of Manipur, reporting has been severely lacking. Out of nearly 6,000 cases of arson, violence, dacoity, and other offenses registered in Manipur from 3 May until 29 June, nearly a third of them have been Zero FIRs. One such Zero FIR was registered nearly 15 days after three Kuki women were paraded naked—and one of them allegedly gang-raped—on 4 May in Manipur’s Thoubal district.

Naari Nyay: The Need of the Hour
While our soldiers safeguard our country, within the country, half of our populace—females—are simply most unsafe. The launch of new schemes in the name of providing security to women seems meaningless if the ground reality is the regular occurrence of crimes against women in our society. The government persistently asserts that their ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign has enhanced the condition of women. However, it appears they are primarily adjusting statistics instead of implementing substantial measures.
Moreover, it is widely known that BJP members are involved in most of the crimes against women. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has uncovered that out of 1580 MPs and MLAs with announced criminal cases, 48 have to deal with penalties connected with wrongdoings against ladies, including rape charges. As per the ADR report, among these 48, 45 MLAs and three MPs have instances of crime against women. Among different perceived parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has the largest number of MPs and MLAs (12) with instances of crime against women, trailed by Shiv Sena (7) and All India Trinamool Congress (6).
This situation demands urgent attention and action to ensure the safety and well-being of women across the nation. Naari Nyay is the need of the hour which promises overall development for the females! Proposals for Women Empowerment:
• Direct Annual Deposit: Congress promises a direct annual deposit of ₹1 lakh into the bank accounts of poor women.
• 50% Reservation in Central Government Jobs: If Congress comes to power, they will ensure 50% reservation for women in all new recruitments for Central government jobs.
• Doubling Income for ASHA Workers, Anganwadi Staff, and Mid-Day Meal Workers: The income of ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers, women in Anganwadis, and those in mid-day meal schemes will be doubled under the Shakti ka Samman scheme.
• Savitribai Phule Working Women’s Hostels: Congress proposes to establish working women’s hostels named after Savitribai Phule in every district across the country.
• Adhikar Maitri: A paralegal (nodal officer) will be appointed in every panchayat to educate women about their rights and assist in their legal cases.
These guarantees aim to empower Indian women and address critical issues related to their well-being and economic independence.
The safety of women is the cornerstone of a prosperous nation.