No dip in crime against fair sex

PATNA: Bihar may have the distinction of having women holding 54 per cent of its panchayat seats, but in its rural areas crime against women continue just as before. There is no let down in the number of rape cases and there is no special plan to ensure that such crimes would not occur in the future.
The state police recorded 1,083 rapes cases in 2006.But it is common knowledge that the actual number may be many times more. Women hesitate to report rapes and given the low conviction rates, victims are often persuaded to just forget and get on with life. Arrests usually are not prompt and registering a case brings a good deal of harassment for the family and sometimes more assaults in the future.
Additional DG (headquarters) Abhyanand said, "Conviction rates are very low in rape cases. Till 2006 there were hardly any convictions. But in 2006 we have put our resources together to obtain convictions." Asked if the government was thinking of ways to get women in Bihar to feel more confident about approaching the police, he said, "We are at the moment working with limitations. And our approach is to get a case registered and act on it quickly," he said.
Interestingly, almost 70 per cent of all rapes in Bihar occur when girls and women in villages head for the fields early in the morning or after sunset to relieve themselves. With poor toilet coverage in most parts of the state, rural communities continue with open defecation.
"We have studied the profile of victims. They are mostly women who move out to the fields all alone. And usually the rape occurs early in the morning and late in the night in such cases," he said.
He said the matter has been brought to the notice of the department concerned in the state government.
It is believed having a toilet in every household will actually bring down the number of rape cases in the rural parts.