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Delhi has become the rape capital of the world

Crescent International

Rape has become a common feature of life in India. Women are humiliated and suppressed and their rape is considered a normal part of life. The latest assault and rape of a 51-year-old Danish tourist right in the heart of Delhi once again shines light on this very serious problem.

Delhi, Crescent-online
Thursday January 16, 2014, 05:07 EST

Delhi is fast becoming the rape capital of the world. The latest rape attack on a Danish tourist in the heart of Delhi has once again focused on a growing crisis in India. The latest victim of the gang-rape was a 51-year-old Danish tourist who lost her way to the hotel in Delhi and sought direction from a group of homeless men early Tuesday evening.

Instead of directing her to the hotel in the bustling Paharganj district of Delhi, up to six men assaulted and robbed her at knife-point by dragging her to a wooded area on the grounds of the Railway Officers Club on State Entry Road.

She was attacked and raped for three hours.

According to the police, the Danish tourist was walking alone and had been in the Indian capital only for a day after visiting the Taj Mahal.

She returned to her hotel deeply traumatized. The hotel receptionist told the media that she returned in a very bad state and asked for 200 rupees to give to the taxi driver. She then revealed what had happened to her.

The victim refused to be medically examined and was clearly traumatized by the experience, but gave a detailed statement overnight in the presence of the Danish ambassador Freddy Svane, according to the police. She has since left India.

The Delhi police say they have identified and arrested a group of young men in relation to the gang-rape.

In December 2012, the world woke up to the horrible rape crimes in India when a female student and her companion were brutally beaten and several men repeatedly raped the girl on a bus. She was also raped with a metal rod causing extremely serious internal injuries leading to her death.

Last month, India marked the first anniversary of the death of the gang-raped student whose case has become something of a cause célèbre but has done little to address the real problem.

There were at least 24,000 reported cases of rape in India in 2011. The actual numbers are probably much higher. While the rape of the Indian student raised awareness about the seriousness of the problem, little appears to have been done about it.

The Danish tourist’s rape case follows that of a Polish woman who was drugged and raped by a taxi driver earlier this month while traveling with her two-year-old daughter to Delhi.

Eight men in the eastern city of Ranchi raped a schoolgirl this week while they held her male friend, according to a report in the Hindustan Times on Wednesday.

Last month, a judge sentenced three Nepalese men to 20 years in jail for the gang-rape of a US tourist in June in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.

In July, six men were sentenced to life in prison for the gang-rape and robbery of a 39-year-old Swiss woman cyclist who had been holidaying in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

The problem of rape of women is far more widespread than is known. Many Indian women refuse to report rape for fear of bringing shame to the family. Also, policemen are known either not to take the charge seriously or even indulge in raping the women themselves.

Equally, many Indian parliamentarians are guilty of raping women yet they sit in parliament without facing any consequences. They can hardly be expected to address the serious problem.

END


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