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India’s beti not nirbhay

India’s beti not nirbhay

The overall utilisation of Nirbhaya Funds allocated to States till date is just 11 per cent, which is only Rs 252 cr of the Rs 2,264 cr sanctioned for ensuring the safety of women 

Seven years ago today, the country witnessed an act of monstrosity, when a 23-year-old woman was gang-raped, had a rod inserted in her private parts and was left to die on the roadside in Delhi. Despite battling hard for many days, she couldn’t survive, and, to honour her courage, was named Nirbhaya (fearless).

Due to the ghastliness of the crime, the citizens of the country came out on the streets demanding justice for Nirbhaya and safety for all women. Candle marches and protests were held all over and many PILs were filed. The protests showed results and the then Government introduced the Nirbhaya Fund in the Budget for the Financial Year 2013-14, for the safety and protection of women.

Circa 2019. It has been seven years but the situation remains unchanged and women continue to be unsafe in public spaces. On November 27, a 27-year-old veterinarian was gang-raped and burnt to death, her charred body recovered the next day. This was followed by reports of a nine-year-old girl being raped and strangled to death in Karnataka, the rape and murder of a six-year-old in Rajasthan, a 37-year-old being gang-raped in Odisha, the Unnao rape victim being burnt to death by the accused out on bail and another girl being threatened with the same fate by her tormentors if she testified against them. These are just a few among many more similar heinous crimes against women reported in recent days in the country. These cases led to another outcry in the nation and once again got everyone thinking about the safety of women in their families.

Questions were once again raised in the Parliament on the utilisation  of the Nirbhaya Fund, following which, the Minister of Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani, presented data in the Lok Sabha on its use.

The Nirbhaya Fund was created with a corpus of Rs 1,000 crore in 2013 and this was increased to Rs 3,600 crore in the last six years. Of this, Rs 2,264 crore, which is 63 per cent of the corpus, was allocated to various States and Union Territories (UTs), by various departments, including the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Home Affairs, Justice and Road Transport and Highways.

To understand the ways the  disbursed money had been used, the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) carried out an analysis of its utilisation by States/UTs. It revealed that despite an increase in crimes against women and children every year, the overall utilisation of Nirbhaya Funds allocated to States/UTs till date was a mere 11 per cent, which is only Rs 252 crore of the Rs 2,264 crore sanctioned. It was appalling to learn that none of the States/UTs could spend more than 50 per cent of the funds allotted till the financial year 2019. Shockingly, the BJP-ruled Maharashtra had failed to use a single rupee allotted to it, while Tripura and Tamil Nadu had just spent three per cent of the funds. Manipur had spent four per cent and Daman & Diu, West Bengal, Gujarat and Delhi used five per cent of the total funds allocated to them. Further, out of the 36 States/UTs for which data is available, the utilisation in 18 States/UTs has been less than 15 per cent, which is a testimony of their utter disregard towards women’s safety. The analysis also revealed that States, including Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha, where the recent cases of crimes against women were reported, have spent only six per cent of the funds allocated to them. In Uttar Pradesh, where the Unnao rape victim was burnt to death, 79 per cent of the funds had remained unspent. The highest utilisation of funds, which was 50 per cent, was done by just two States, Mizoram and Uttarakhand, with just three States, Haryana, Nagaland and Chhattisgarh showing spending of more than 30 per cent of the funds allocated.

The report shows that crimes against women and children have been on a constant rise from 2015 to 2017. The total crimes against women reported in 2015 were 329,243 which increased to 338,954 in 2016 and 359,849 in 2017. Similarly, crimes against children went up from 94,172 to 106,958 and 129,032 in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. The latest annual Crime in India, 2017 report issued by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) showed that in 2017, 32,559 cases of rape were reported, of which 17,382, (53 per cent) were those of minors. A review of the report from 2013 onwards shows that every year over 30,000 women and girls fall victim to the heinous crime.

The huge non-utilisation of the fund, especially set up for the protection of women, is a testimony to the complete lack of political will and utter disregard for the importance and seriousness of the issue of women’s safety. The Nirbhaya Fund was created for the implementation of projects and schemes exclusively designed for providing safety and security to women in public places. Some major schemes, where the States were supposed to use the funds, included the establishment of an Emergency Response Support System, Central Victim Compensation Fund, Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children, One Stop Centre Scheme, Mahila Police Volunteers, and Universalisation of Women Helpline Scheme.

However, meagre spending of the fund has resulted in the sub-optimal operationalisation of these schemes, with the country failing to achieve, even partially, the objectives for which it has been created.

Over the years, there have been demands for setting up special courts, appointing more women police officers, installation of CCTV cameras and street lights in every nook and corner and taking other measures to make the streets safer for the fair sex.

There is a need for strengthening the judiciary through the appointment of more judges, public prosecutors and other officials for time-bound disposal of sexual assault cases. It is imperative to train police officers to ensure timely filing of strong chargesheets against criminals with a diligent investigation to make watertight cases, among other things.

While recently, some policy developments have taken place, including creation of special courts for speedy disposal of cases related to Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act; further strengthening of the POCSO Act; launch of the fast track special courts (FTSC) scheme for expeditious disposal of cases of rape and the POCSO Act, 2019 (which calls for establishing 1,023 FTSCs), much more  needs to be done.

The KSCF has also been working relentlessly for the last several years to raise awareness against these crimes, demanding that India be made a country safer for women and children. A major step taken was the launch of Bharat Yatra, a national march against sexual abuse of children in 2017 and the Rape Free India campaign before the Lok Sabha elections, earlier this year.

The recent incidents of rape and other crimes against women are a wake-up call for State Governments. There is a need for States/UTs to formulate schemes for the safety of women and girls and implement them on a war footing. They need to utilise the Nirbhaya Fund placed at their disposal, and if necessary, allocate a budget from their funds for implementation of these schemes.

The women and children of the country have remained unsafe for long. It is high time that steps are taken to make them feel secure as they go about their daily business, at home and outside.

(Writer: Rakesh Senger; Courtesy: The Pioneer)

India’s beti not nirbhay

India’s beti not nirbhay

The overall utilisation of Nirbhaya Funds allocated to States till date is just 11 per cent, which is only Rs 252 cr of the Rs 2,264 cr sanctioned for ensuring the safety of women 

Seven years ago today, the country witnessed an act of monstrosity, when a 23-year-old woman was gang-raped, had a rod inserted in her private parts and was left to die on the roadside in Delhi. Despite battling hard for many days, she couldn’t survive, and, to honour her courage, was named Nirbhaya (fearless).

Due to the ghastliness of the crime, the citizens of the country came out on the streets demanding justice for Nirbhaya and safety for all women. Candle marches and protests were held all over and many PILs were filed. The protests showed results and the then Government introduced the Nirbhaya Fund in the Budget for the Financial Year 2013-14, for the safety and protection of women.

Circa 2019. It has been seven years but the situation remains unchanged and women continue to be unsafe in public spaces. On November 27, a 27-year-old veterinarian was gang-raped and burnt to death, her charred body recovered the next day. This was followed by reports of a nine-year-old girl being raped and strangled to death in Karnataka, the rape and murder of a six-year-old in Rajasthan, a 37-year-old being gang-raped in Odisha, the Unnao rape victim being burnt to death by the accused out on bail and another girl being threatened with the same fate by her tormentors if she testified against them. These are just a few among many more similar heinous crimes against women reported in recent days in the country. These cases led to another outcry in the nation and once again got everyone thinking about the safety of women in their families.

Questions were once again raised in the Parliament on the utilisation  of the Nirbhaya Fund, following which, the Minister of Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani, presented data in the Lok Sabha on its use.

The Nirbhaya Fund was created with a corpus of Rs 1,000 crore in 2013 and this was increased to Rs 3,600 crore in the last six years. Of this, Rs 2,264 crore, which is 63 per cent of the corpus, was allocated to various States and Union Territories (UTs), by various departments, including the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Home Affairs, Justice and Road Transport and Highways.

To understand the ways the  disbursed money had been used, the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) carried out an analysis of its utilisation by States/UTs. It revealed that despite an increase in crimes against women and children every year, the overall utilisation of Nirbhaya Funds allocated to States/UTs till date was a mere 11 per cent, which is only Rs 252 crore of the Rs 2,264 crore sanctioned. It was appalling to learn that none of the States/UTs could spend more than 50 per cent of the funds allotted till the financial year 2019. Shockingly, the BJP-ruled Maharashtra had failed to use a single rupee allotted to it, while Tripura and Tamil Nadu had just spent three per cent of the funds. Manipur had spent four per cent and Daman & Diu, West Bengal, Gujarat and Delhi used five per cent of the total funds allocated to them. Further, out of the 36 States/UTs for which data is available, the utilisation in 18 States/UTs has been less than 15 per cent, which is a testimony of their utter disregard towards women’s safety. The analysis also revealed that States, including Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha, where the recent cases of crimes against women were reported, have spent only six per cent of the funds allocated to them. In Uttar Pradesh, where the Unnao rape victim was burnt to death, 79 per cent of the funds had remained unspent. The highest utilisation of funds, which was 50 per cent, was done by just two States, Mizoram and Uttarakhand, with just three States, Haryana, Nagaland and Chhattisgarh showing spending of more than 30 per cent of the funds allocated.

The report shows that crimes against women and children have been on a constant rise from 2015 to 2017. The total crimes against women reported in 2015 were 329,243 which increased to 338,954 in 2016 and 359,849 in 2017. Similarly, crimes against children went up from 94,172 to 106,958 and 129,032 in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. The latest annual Crime in India, 2017 report issued by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) showed that in 2017, 32,559 cases of rape were reported, of which 17,382, (53 per cent) were those of minors. A review of the report from 2013 onwards shows that every year over 30,000 women and girls fall victim to the heinous crime.

The huge non-utilisation of the fund, especially set up for the protection of women, is a testimony to the complete lack of political will and utter disregard for the importance and seriousness of the issue of women’s safety. The Nirbhaya Fund was created for the implementation of projects and schemes exclusively designed for providing safety and security to women in public places. Some major schemes, where the States were supposed to use the funds, included the establishment of an Emergency Response Support System, Central Victim Compensation Fund, Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children, One Stop Centre Scheme, Mahila Police Volunteers, and Universalisation of Women Helpline Scheme.

However, meagre spending of the fund has resulted in the sub-optimal operationalisation of these schemes, with the country failing to achieve, even partially, the objectives for which it has been created.

Over the years, there have been demands for setting up special courts, appointing more women police officers, installation of CCTV cameras and street lights in every nook and corner and taking other measures to make the streets safer for the fair sex.

There is a need for strengthening the judiciary through the appointment of more judges, public prosecutors and other officials for time-bound disposal of sexual assault cases. It is imperative to train police officers to ensure timely filing of strong chargesheets against criminals with a diligent investigation to make watertight cases, among other things.

While recently, some policy developments have taken place, including creation of special courts for speedy disposal of cases related to Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act; further strengthening of the POCSO Act; launch of the fast track special courts (FTSC) scheme for expeditious disposal of cases of rape and the POCSO Act, 2019 (which calls for establishing 1,023 FTSCs), much more  needs to be done.

The KSCF has also been working relentlessly for the last several years to raise awareness against these crimes, demanding that India be made a country safer for women and children. A major step taken was the launch of Bharat Yatra, a national march against sexual abuse of children in 2017 and the Rape Free India campaign before the Lok Sabha elections, earlier this year.

The recent incidents of rape and other crimes against women are a wake-up call for State Governments. There is a need for States/UTs to formulate schemes for the safety of women and girls and implement them on a war footing. They need to utilise the Nirbhaya Fund placed at their disposal, and if necessary, allocate a budget from their funds for implementation of these schemes.

The women and children of the country have remained unsafe for long. It is high time that steps are taken to make them feel secure as they go about their daily business, at home and outside.

(Writer: Rakesh Senger; Courtesy: The Pioneer)

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