The rate of crimes against women is on the upswing constituting 18.9 per cent of the total IPC crimes in the country. The government data portrays a worrisome picture as the conviction rates for all crimes against women in the country stands at a dismal 26.3 per cent. This includes rape, molestation, cruelty by husbands and relatives, sexual harassment , kidnapping and abduction of women and girls and importation of girls.
While rape has emerged as one of the fastest growing crimes in India , the conviction rate remains low. From 2487 cases of rape recorded in 1971 , the National Crime Records Bureau data shows that the figures have jumped to 24, 206 in 2011. However, the conviction rate stands only at 26.4 percent in rape cases, which is lower than the conviction rates for other crimes such as robbery, kidnapping and murder.
According to the Delhi police, the capital is steadily witnessing a rise in rape cases. In 2012, the figures stand at an alarming 661 rape incidents till December 15 in Delhi as compared to 564 during same period in 2011. That is not all. Cases of molestation and sexual harassment are also on the rise which has taken the graph of crime against women in the country to a shameful height.
The NCRB started collecting data on molestation and sexual harassment in 1995. That year, 26,856 cases of molestation and 4689 cases of sexual harassment were recorded .The figures have doubled since then. While molestation cases have nearly doubled to 42,968 , a total of 8570 sexual harassment cases have been reported in 2011 across the country.
Top home ministry officials concede the situation may even be worse as many women and young girls do not report the crimes in many parts of the country. A top official said in 80 per cent of the cases, the accused are known to the victims.