An Inhuman Yet Prevalent Crime of Rape: Facts, Statistics & Trends

Its Heinous, Its Inhuman & Its Insane. Yet Its Burden on Humanity & Innocence is just increasing !

Here are some shocking facts, statistics & trends on Rape in India and abroad

[Updated April 21, 2013]

Numbers behind Rapes in India: Geographical Facts, statistics and trends

As observed from 2011 statistics and trends released by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB):

• Delhi continues to be the rape capital of the country with 568 registered cases of rape,
• At 2nd place was Mumbai with 218 registered cases of rape in 2011
• In the 2007-2011 period, Delhi topped the chart, followed by Mumbai, Bhopal, Pune and Jaipur.
• Madhya Pradesh tops the list with 15,275 registered cases of rape, followed by West Bengal (11,427), UP (8,834) and Assam (8,060), Maharashtra (7,703)

The Rape Map of India

The “Rape Map of India” by The Wall Street Journal also looked at the number of reported rape cases in India in 2011  adding data from the National Crime Records Bureau on the rate of conviction in rape cases in each state around the country. Here are the findings:

• Some 15,423 rape cases were decided countrywide in 2011.
• Of the total number of cases that made to court, the overall rate of convictions stand at 26.4%, or 4,072 convictions while 11,351 acquittals were recorded. These included cases pending from previous years as well.
• In 2010, 14,263 cases of rape were decided, with the accused being convicted in 3,788 cases, or 26.6%.
• The small northeastern state of Manipur recorded a 100% conviction rate in rape trials in 2011.

According to facts, statistics & trends released by Jagori’s Safe Delhi Campaign

• Delhi leads India in all incidents of crimes against women, including rape, molestation, dowry harassment and domestic violence, Jagori’s Safe Delhi Campaign reported.
• The capital also was the site of 23.8 percent of rape cases, 38.9 percent of kidnapping and abduction cases, 15.2 percent of dowry deaths and 14.1 percent of molestation cases.
• Factors that make Delhi unsafe for women: dark or poorly lighted streets; derelict parks and empty lots; badly maintained public spaces; inadequate signage; lack of public toilets; poor public transport, as well as rude bus drivers and conductors; insufficient presence and unresponsive-aggressive attitudes of police and civic authorities; isolation from neighbors and the lack of community life; traditional notions of privacy and refusal of neighbors and police to intervene in situations of domestic violence; a macho culture; and a general lack of respect for women’s rights.

According to an Al Jazeera video documentary

• In Delhi, a city of some 20 million, 80 percent of women said they have been at least sexually harassed. If accurate, this figure would mean that at least 5 million women in the city alone have had this unpleasant experience (or worse).
• An astonishing four-fifths of all women in Delhi fear for their safety on the streets, especially at night.
• Part of this apparent escalation in violence against women may be attributed to the fact that in past 15 years, the number of women in Delhi’s workforce has more than doubled. As a result, women have become more visible in public, and many are dressed in modern Western attire, having chucked traditional clothing.

Who and How Many Commit The Heinous crime of Rape

As observed from 2011 statistics and trends released by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics:

• 75,257 accused (aged 18-30) were arrested in the 2007-2011 period across India
• 38,845 fall in the age group of 30-45.
• From those aged above 45, over 9,000 were arrested, including senior citizens.
• Juveniles (below 18) come last in the list with 4,461 cases.

An international perspective on Rapes & Crime against women

It’s certainly possible to find statistics that show India is not alone in facing a rape problem.

• According to a document from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 1.8 incidents of reported rape in India per 100,000 people in 2010 compared to 27.3 in the U.S. However, if certain estimates which say that only about one in 10 rapes get recorded in India, are true, that would make India’s reporting rate much worse than the results of surveys in the U.S. suggest.
• According to the The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, or RAINN, a U.S. nonprofit organization, only 46% of U.S. rape cases get reported to the police. That number comes from the U.S. Justice Department’s National Crime Victimization Survey.
• Another way to compare countries’ rape statistics is to look at conviction rates. India’s National Crime Records Bureau shows there were 24,206 reported rape cases in 2011. Of those that made it to court that year, which was not disclosed, 26% ended in convictions. In the U.S., RAINN estimates that just over half of rape cases that are prosecuted in the U.S. each year leads to a conviction, a much higher rate than in India.

Some other shocking facts about rapes

• Investigators have found that in most cases of rapes, the accused are known to victims. Offences are often committed by friends and relatives who lure the victim with false promises. Only 4 percent of men arrested for rape were strangers to their victims, while the other 96 percent were known to the victims or their families.
• Anonymity, impulsiveness and power are some causes that make a person to commit the offence
• Very few rapes get reported due to pressure from society to cover up abuses and the reluctance of police to register cases.
• Indian law doesn’t recognize rape committed within a marriage, doesn’t count acts of oral sex as criminal rape, doesn’t allow for rape of men.
• Delhi accounts for an astounding one-quarter of all rapes officially recorded in the vast country, according to data compiled by NCRB.
• A survey by Jagori and U.N. Habitat revealed that about 70 percent of women were harassed on the roadside and 50 percent were harassed on public transport.
• Most rape victims in India are under the age of 21 (and at least 25 percent are under the age of 18). Similarly, more than one-half (56 percent) of the culprits are under the age of 25, suggesting a wave of violence from youths who are oblivious to socioeconomic trends.

What do you think about these facts and statistics about rapes ? Will this crime on humanity continue to grow ? Share your thoughts through your comments below.