हिमाचल में वढ़ रहे अनुसूचित जाति के विरूद्ध मामले।

By Abhishek Kumar

हिमाचल प्रदेश में अनुसूचित जाति के विरूद्ध दर्ज मामलों में एसटी/एससी अधिनियम के तेहद काफी इजाफा हुआ है। हमने पिछले दस वर्षों 2011-2020 तक के आंकड़ों का विश्लेषण करने पर यह पाया की वर्ष 2019-20 के दौरान अनुसूचित जाति के लोगों के विरूद्ध किए जाने वाले अपराधों की दर में 32.21 प्रतिशत की वृद्धि दर्ज की गई।  इन आंकड़ों के अनुसार सिर्फ तीन (3) वर्षों यानी 2014,2015 और 2017 के अलावा अन्य दिन वर्षों में वृद्धि पाई गईं। 2012 में वर्ष 2011 की अपेक्षा 37.23 प्रतिशत यानी कुल 129 मामले दर्ज किए गए। वहीं वर्ष  2020 में दर्ज कुल मामलों कि संख्या 250 जो कि वर्ष 2014 की तुलना में 32.27 प्रतिशत अधिक थी। समाजिक न्याय अधिकारिता विभाग के द्वारा प्रकाशित एक रिपोर्ट के अनुसार अनुसूचित जातियों की संख्या हिमाचल प्रदेश में 57 है। अतः अनुसूचित जाति के विरूद्ध दर्ज होने वाले मामलों में लगभग दोगुनी बढ़ोतरी हुई है।

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Number of Juvenile Rape Convicts in India declines : NCRB data

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By: Gargi Sud

India recorded a steep decline in the number of juvenile rape convicts over the past 8 years (2012-2020) according to the data provided by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). While this decline is reflected across all the age groups that qualify as juvenile, the prominent decline is seen among the age group of 16 to 18 years.

In 2020, 777 juveniles in the aforementioned age group were convicted of rape crimes. The year recorded the lowest convictions for the age groups below 12 and below 16 as well. The total convictions in the below 18 year age group for the year 2020 was 1022. This marked a 26.10 percentage decline as compared to the figure in 2019.

After the Delhi gang rape case, the number of cases being reported increased which increased the number of convicts (for all age groups) as well. The definition of who is a juvenile changed in the year 2015 under the Juvenile Justice Act where the age was reduced from 18 to 16. Initially a decline was seen in the number as a total of 1337 juveniles were convicted in 2015. But in 2016, this number increased to 1561 for the age group 16-18 reflecting a 16.75 percentage increase. Since then, there was a continuous decline in the number of juvenile convicts of rape crime, specifically in the age group 16 to 18 years.

 

2020 which marked the steep decline was apparently the year of the COVID-19 outbreak as well. Some observers attribute the nationwide lockdowns imposed during the various phases of the COVID-19 virus outbreak as the reason for the decline in number of juvenile rape convicts. However, others point out that it could be a case of cases not being reported.

“Lockdown can be a reason of the decline but rape cases not being reported are a major reason. 50-60% of the convictions decreases due to victim changing statements under societal pressure and due to lack of family support,” said Mr. Krishan Rana who is working with Gunjan, a NGO working for women and child empowerment in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.

According to a police official in Dharamshala, children below 18 years of age are exposed to a lot of peer pressure and are curious to know about new things and experiment them. They suggested that it is important for parents to have a friendly relation with children and to counsel them at different points of time.

The official also stated that it is often seen that the victims change their original statements and often refuse to identify the arrested culprits leading to dismissal of the case without conviction.

Rana also point out that unrestricted use of gadgets and the access to inappropriate content through the gadgets could be one reason for juveniles committing such crimes. “The child should be made aware about the appropriate content from the very beginning. There should be a proper timing for the children to use a gadget under parental check. Parental locks should be used. I have taken a parental lock for my child because it is parent’s responsibility to keep a check on the content and apps being used by the child,” says he.

According to him, the laws to prevent sexual assault need to be strict in both juvenile as well as adult cases. “Sixteen is a bigger age since there are a lot of cases reported from schools especially in metro cities. There is a need for strict ruling and guidelines. 6 months rehabilitation period will not have much impact on a rapist so the rehabilitation term should be increased to 1-2 years,” he said.

However, imprisonment may not be the most effective correctional measure for juvenile convicts. According to Rana, a juvenile rape convict should not be sent to the adult jail as it increases their chances of getting “exploited” by adult criminals. “Juvenile rehabilitation centers should be properly inspected by the government to avoid any societal discrimination and there must be provisions for education of the convicts”, said he.

Himachal Pradesh ranks fifth in Women Literacy in India

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By: Shrishti Chaubey

According to the latest figures from National Family Health Survey (NFHS), Himachal Pradesh stands at 5th position in women literacy in India with 91.7% percentage of women in the state being literate. Kerala tops the list with 98.3% literate women followed by Lakshadweep with 96.5%. While Mizoram stood at 94.4%, Goa secured 4th position with 93%.

The national average in women literacy in 2019-21 stands at 78.97%. A total of 18 states/UTs fall below the national average in the percentage of women who are literate. Bihar with 57.8% has the least percentage of women literacy followed by Jharkhand being the second-worst player with 61.7%. 

 

Districts of Himachal Pradesh recorded better results as compared to the national average since 7 out of 12 districts scored more than 90% whereas the other 5 districts scored more than 83%. Hamirpur attained the first position with 94.80% and Kangra being the second competitor with 94.40% followed by Mandi having 94%. Chamba was the worst performer among all scoring 84.10% followed by Sirmaur with 84.90%. Plain regions like Kangra and Una performed well as compared to tribal and upper regions (Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, and Chamba) of Himachal Pradesh. According to NFHS methods, women who completed  9th standard schooling or higher educational qualification and can read a whole sentence or part of a sentence is considered literate.

National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) is the fifth series of surveys which is prepared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India which aims to provide information on the population, health, and nutrition in each state and union territory in India. NFHS-5 is divided into two phases, where phase-I is conducted in 2019-20 for 22 states/UTs and phase-II in 2019-21 for 14 states/UTs.

 

The NFHS-5 survey for Himachal Pradesh was conducted from 16 July 2019 to 5 November 2019 by Population Research Center, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. The fact sheet provides information from 10,368 women aged 15-49 years.

" Whatever happens now,I will not be silent.I will run away with kids if I've to "

Representative image ( Credit : Umang Arora)

By: Umang Arora
“My husband wouldn’t use protection, Didi. I’ve to buy contraceptive pills every now and then. I now have started to feel pain in various parts of my body. He would drink daily. I don’t know what to do. I cannot even leave him. My children will suffer,” says Kusum*, a woman in her mid-forties who hails from Uttar Pradesh and works as a home maid at several houses in Jalandhar city.

This is not just the story of Kusum. Many women, living in the villages of rural North India, virtually go through similar experiences. Dominated by the husband, tortured by the in-laws, they often don’t speak to anyone about the misery they put up with.  Domestic violence related to dowry and sex determination is a matter of regular occurrence for them, even today.

“He even said that if I get pregnant somehow, he’ll dump me and marry someone else,” says Kusum with fear in her eyes. Kusum’s story about how she manages to go home at the end of the day to face her husband is a shaking one.

Kusum has three boys but her husband won’t let any of them go to school.  He wants them to pick up errands available in the residential complexes in the city, like washing people’s cars, which will pay up small sums. She has tried several times to enroll them in the school but he wouldn’t let them go.

The misery does not condone the hard work needed to earn the daily bread.  Her daily shift starts from 8 in the morning till 9 in the night. She would find extra part time work as well to make the ends meet. “Whatever I earn at the end of the month, he manages to snatch away. Even if I try to hide it from him, he would make me swear by my children. I cannot lie then.” Kusum’s husband usually takes away all the money and spends it on booze.

“Fortunately”, her mother-in-law has died but it is her husband now, who is making life a hell for her. “It’s good if this person also dies, I’ll sail my kids somehow,” she murmurs.  “My mother gave bed, utensils, jewelry and what not; still my in-laws used to beat me up and would ask me to get cash from my mother. My mother has brought up us three sisters on her own” recalls Kusum.

Her father would beat up her mother when they used to live in their gaon. As a little girl, she would see her sisters getting beaten up by her father and in-laws. “Every night my father used to beat my mother for not giving birth to a boy,” recalls Kusum. When it became unbearable, her mother ran away from there. She was carrying her fourth child in the womb at that time.  “Hamaari taraf aisa he hota hai! (This is what happens at our side!),”shrugs Kusum.

There’s a long, long battle for Kusum to fight through. For herself and her children. “The bastard doesn’t even die! Whatever happens now, I will not be silent. I will run away with kids if I’ve to,” says Kusum.

*Name changed for the privacy