By Dr. Ranjana Kumari, Director of Centre for Social Research.

Sexual violence is a widespread problem in India that affects women from all classes, castes and socio-economic groups. In 2009 a total of 21,397 rape incidents were reported across the country and many more remain un-reported. Statistics show that 44 percent of sexual assault victims are under the age of 18 and approximately two-thirds of assaults are committed by someone known to the survivor. Furthermore, more than 70 percent of women with developmental disabilities experience sexual assault. In the nation’s capital, Delhi, there has been an increase in the number of reported rape cases from 459 in 2009 to 489 in 2011. The increase in the number of reported cases of rape has led to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) identifying rape as the fastest growing crime in India.

Discussions throughout India, and across the world, about the causes of rape as well as the best ways to prevent rape and to prosecute rapists are largely underpinned by patriarchal assumptions of gender and sexually and are extremely problematic.

There is a tendency within India society, both males and females, to blame the victims of rape or sexual assault. The rape incident is often sexualised and women are accused of behaving inappropriately and inciting the rapists’ behavior. In some cases women are accused of dressing provocatively, whilst in others of travelling alone too late at night. This reinforces the idea that women must behave in a certain manner and must be controlled by men. Their failure to conform to gendered expectations is used as a justification for the rape and restores the appearance of safety and security within the community.

The focus on sexuality and men’s sexual desires tends to reinforce patriarchal gender stereotypes and in some ways justifies the actions of rapists who are considered to be more sexual than women and are therefore less able to control their sexual desires. However, it is evident that rape, as with other forms of gender based violence, is a manifestation of the patriarchal need to control and subjugate women. Therefore, rape represents an attempt by the rapist to exert power over the rape victim. Yet it is also reflects a broader need to reinforce patriarchal social structures that dictate gendered social structures and divisions and perpetuate gender-based discrimination and inequality.

The attention to women’s dress and character is largely used to shift the focus away from the perpetrator’s actions. Existing efforts to combat sexual violence are largely focused on lecturing women about what they should be doing to avoid rape, instead of talking to men about the fact they do not have the right to women’s bodies without explicit consent. By focusing on the behavior of women, the male perpetrators of violence are inadvertently condoned. Women should not be held responsible for the behavior of perpetrators of sexual violence. Therefore, there is a need to focus on holding perpetrators accountable and educating both men and women of women’s rights rather than to blame and vindicate victims of sexual violence.

Here are the top 10 news stories about Indian women circulating the CSR office this week!

Priyadarshini’s Mother Is ‘Disillusioned’ With Indian Judicial System: More than 15 years after the rape and murder of law student Priyadarshini Mattoo by a stalker in New Delhi, her mother says the long wait for justice and “less” quantum of punishment for the killer has shattered her faith in the system.

New Study Reveals Smoking Is More Harmful For Women Than Men: The risk of developing coronary heart disease is 25% higher for women smokers compared with men, according to a study published in the British medical journal `The Lancet’ on Thursday.

MSN India Launches “MSN She”: MSN India has launched a new project – MSN She – to reach out to women and provide a discussion platform for gender-related issues.

Surrogate Baby Boom in Bangalore: Following on from the IT boom, it’s the “baby business” that is booming in Bangalore now. Childless couples from around the world are arriving in the city to “rent a womb” and pay a surrogate mother to have their babies.

Denying Wife Access to Marital Home Is Domestic Violence, Bombay Court Rules: Depriving one’s wife of financial support and access to the matrimonial home constitutes domestic violence, the Bombay high court has ruled in an important order.

Rape and Murder Convict Escapes from Police Custody: In a sensational getaway, a rape and murder convict escaped from police custody while being taken to a Gurgaon court on Wednesday afternoon.

Indian Basketball Sisters Defy Gender Bias: Eyebrows were naturally raised when Priyanka, eldest of the five Singh sisters from India’s holy city of Varanasi, sought to make basketball her career, thus blazing a trail for sisters Divya, Prashanti, Akanksha and Pratima – all of whom share her healthy distaste for gender stereotypes.

Domestic Violence Victims Can Now Use Law In Retrospect: The Bombay High Court last week held that victims of domestic violence can seek refuge under the provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence (DV) Act (2005), even in cases that occurred before the legislation came into force if the abuse continued thereafter.

Indian Women Bloggers Find Their Voice, In Their Own Language: As the Internet opens up to different Indian languages, the profile of India’s female bloggers is turning out to be far more complex than many commentators might have suspected.

Revered Bonds of Rakhi Know No Boundaries: Not everyone realises that the significance of Rakhi extends beyond the brother-sister relationship. In large parts of the country, Raksha Bandhan is a gender-neutral festival with female family members tying the holy thread around one another’s wrists to express solidarity and affection.

Here are the top 10 news stories about women in India that caught our attention at the CSR office this week!

Sex crime cases to be fast-tracked: State government has requested that Bombay High Court allow cases of crime against women pending for longer than 1 year be transferred to fast track courts. There are also 12 new special courts to deal with cases of rape and molestation.

‘Baba’ Held For Raping Rape Victims: After starting up an NGO in Delhi to help women fight harassment at the hands of their employers, instead of proving their saviour Baba Wam Dev Ram instead become a predator of the worst kind.

Women Seek New Avenues of Justice: Members of Kalayika, a consortium of different women’s organisations, gathered in Vijayawada for a two-day workshop of the Court of Women. They discussed the different forms of abuse against women and new possible avenues for justice.

Child Marriage a Scourge for Millions of Girls: A girl under the age of 18 is married every three seconds — that’s 10 million each year — often without her consent and sometimes to a much older man. A special report by Trustlaw explains why child marriage is one of the biggest development issues of our time.

India Calls Ceasefire On India-Bangladeshi Border Crossings: Efforts to transform the India-Bangladesh border from a zone of terrorism, smuggling and human trafficking into a peaceful barrier took a big step forward last week. India’s Border Security Force pledged to stop shooting people who cross from one country to the other. (Over 300,000 Bangladeshiwomen and children have been trafficked to India in the past decade.)

New Delhi’s SlutWalk Disappoints: Despite all prior hype, the Delhi SlutWalk Arthaat Besharmi Morcha was a lot of talk but actually little walk.

Government To Recruit 1582 Women Home Guards: Bihar has reserved 10% posts for women home guards – the majority will be placed in rural areas. A record number of young women are swarming the district collectorates and police lines to submit their forms!

Teenage Girl Set On Fire After Resisting Rape: A teenage girl in northern India is fighting for her life in hospital after two youths set her on fire because she resisted their attempts to rape her.

AIIMS Turns A Blind Eye As Women Are Sexually Assaulted: Sordid details emerged this week of sexual harassment by senior doctors and administration staff at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Childfund India Invests Rs 80 crore in Women and Children in South India: On Thursday the NGO ChildFund India announced plans to spend Rs 80 crore on Karnataka’s women and children through a variety of projects.

Here are the top 10 news stories about women in India that caught our attention at the CSR office this week!

Amendment to the Constitution of India for Enhancing Reservation for Women in Panchayats : The Union cabinet approved amendment to the Constitution on Thursday to reserve at least 50 per cent seats for women in Panchayats.

Two Held for Kidnap and Rape in New Delhi : Two men have been arrested for allegedly raping two young women after abducting them from Nizamuddin railway station last weekend.

Alcoholism is Biggest Cause Of Accidents, Crime & Domestic Violence : Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister, Punjab, Prof Lakshmi Kanta Chawla  has blamed alcoholism as the “single biggest cause of road accidents, domestic violence and crime” in India.

India’s First Slut Walk Disappoints in Bhopal : Women in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, staged the country’s first-ever “Slut Walk” on Sunday – a rally aimed at denouncing the attitude of blaming sexual harassment on women’s attire. The numbers, however, fell below expectations.

US and India Plan Women Empowerment Training Programme : Delivering a speech at the Working Women’s Forum in Chennai on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the United States and India are planning an initiative to train women to be leaders in a bid to promote democracy at the local level.

Violence Against Women on the Rise in Punjab : During the last six months  a total of 3,035 cases of violence were recorded in Punjab, in which 3,301 women were victimised, according to new data released on Thursday.

Another Sex Racket Busted in the Capital: A day after a prostitution ring involving foreign nationals was busted in the city, the police claimed to have busted another racket.

Ensure women’s safety! – Bombay High Court : The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) to sit down and plana new strategy to provide security to women travelling on local trains.

First Ever Indian Wedding Exhibition Hits the UK : Neeta Lulla, Nivedita Saboo, Ravish Kapoor are some of the more famous names who are exhibiting their merchandise at the first UK Indian wedding show in July. It’s called ‘Ardhangini’: celebrating the spirit of being an Indian woman.

Women Responsible for Sex Selection Repeats AIWC Chief : At a recent meeting to prepare women for the upcoming Women’s Reservation Bill, newly appointed All India Women Congress president Anita Verma set the tone for the day by blaming Indian women for agreeing to abort a female foetus under pressure from husband and in-laws.

Here are the top 10 news stories about women in India that caught our attention at the CSR office this week!

South Asian Women Need More Domestic Violence Protection: A new report from the United Nations says even in countries with domestic violence laws in place – justice remains out of reach for millions of  women.

Pre-Natal Sex Selection Still Prominent in India: Early results of India’s 2011 census show that the illegal practice of pre-natal sex selection continues unabated. Look out for our very own Head of Research, Manasi Mishra, in the video at the end of this article!

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar Fails in Attempt to Reach a Consensus on Women’s Bill: Parties remained firm on their stated positions on the Women’s Reservation Bill as Speaker Meira Kumar met with the floor leaders here on Thursday.

Indian Women Archers Win Silver at World Championships in Italy: The Indian Women’s Archery team took proud second place at the World Archery Championships in Turin, Italy on Sunday. They are the very first Indian women to have made it to the finals of this event.

India – Fourth Most Dangerous Country for Women: India’s notoriety as ’the land where angels fear to tread’ is upheld after a recent survey, conducted by Thomson Reuters Trustlaw Women, ranks India as the fourth most dangerous country in the world for women.

Delhi Police Commissioner Advises Women Not to Go Out at Night: A response to Police Commissioner BK Gupta’s recent ‘advice’ to women in Delhi.

Conviction for Rape Cases in Maharashtra is Just 19%: Government data has revealed that the conviction rate for rape cases registered in Maharashtra is worryingly low.

Indian Women Are the Most Stressed on Earth: As women around the world enjoy broader opportunities and expanding roles, they’re also experiencing one other increase in their lives — stress.

New App Created for Women’s Safety: With atrocities against women rising in India, Mindhelix Technologies has come up with an app that aims to bring help to users if they are in danger.

Is India’s Population Policy Sexist? Health authorities in Rajasthan are offering a cheap car, among other things, as a prize in an attempt to sign up 20,000 people to meet an ambitious sterilisation target.