Mags GarganThe number of rapes registered by police in India has doubled
The decline of moral and spiritual values in Indian society is largely to blame for the surge in rape and sexual violence, according to the secretary-general of the Indian bishops’ conference.
“The core values of the society are getting degenerated. Indiscriminate gratification of desires, induced by the media, lies at the root of the increasing number of rapes,” Archbishop Albert D’Souza of Agra said. “Young girls and even [religious] novices have become vulnerable to sexual predators,” he added, as Indian media buzzed about the latest reports on the increase in the number of rapes in India.
Intimidation
A study by the New Delhi-based Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative discovered that two rapes have been reported every hour for the last 13 years, according to crime data collected by India’s National Crime Records Bureau. The number of rapes registered by police had doubled from 16,075 cases in 2001 to 33,707 in 2013. Social activists say many more cases go unreported because of intimidation by culprits.
“The easy access to pornography through the internet and the media play a big a role in the increase in the number of rapes,” Archbishop D’Souza said.
“What happened in [a] Bangalore convent shows the dangerous situation around us,” the archbishop said, referring to the gang rape of a 16-year-old novice in July at Holy Nativity Convent in a suburb of the southern India city.