NCJ Number
217729
Date Published
July 2006
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article analyzes the experience of the Delhi, India police in their attempts to curb violence and other crimes against women.
Abstract
In 1983, the Crimes Against Women Cell was established within the Delphi Police to deal with widespread violence against wives and other crimes against women, such as sexual harassment and other forms of abuse. The author explains that India is a patriarchal society that prizes the birth of boys and sends condolences to parents who have girl babies. One of the main reasons for prizing a boy child over a girl child is the cultural tradition of the dowry, in which the parents of a girl must make gifts and payments on a continual basis to the family of the boy she marries. Once a young woman is married, the conditions in which she lives are often determined by the quality of the dowry and continual gifting required by her parents. In some cases, married women whose families are not able to provide enough dowries are murdered in order to secure a new wife, and thus a new dowry. Although the legislature in India has taken steps to stop the tradition of dowry demanding, the legislation is largely without teeth and is widely ignored. In response, the Crimes Against Women Cell was formed to deal with violence against women, particularly married women who are largely at the mercy of the husband’s family. The author notes that while improvements are evident, it is crucial to make the criminal justice system more responsive to this exploitative situation involving social, economic, political, and other dimensions. The author provides an overview of the activities of the Crimes Against Women Cell, which mainly involves counseling of the victims, perpetrators, and their families, as well as activities related to stopping sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and other gender-related crimes in India. These activities include crisis intervention centers, a 24-hour helpline, and self-defense training. Figure