Crime against women: 93 rapes reported everyday, Delhi has the worst record, reveals NCRB

We have the statistics and each time a rape occurs there is a hue and cry only to be forgotten.

Amidst the raging debates on whether to ban or not taxi services, here are some statistics that would show that there have been 69,000 cases of rape since the year 2009 and just 16,000 convictions while the others are pending or the prosecution has not been able to prove the offence. [Uber cab rape case: All you need to know]

Trial by media

According to legal experts, the media does bring about the awareness but should let the courts do their work. Most of the time the media convicts an accused much before the filing of a chargesheet, leave alone a trial. This causes prejudice and accused persons very often cite this in court to obtain bail or conviction.

Media personnel very often hover around the crime scene, they interview witnesses and keep playing them out. This influences the witnesses and their depositions during a cross examination becomes unsteady leading to an acquittal. [More than Uber, we are at fault]

False cases

Although the conviction rate is bad but one must not also forget that at times several cases end in acquittal due to false cases. Some women who have a vendetta end up filing false cases only to blackmail.

Former State Public Prosecutor of Karnataka tells OneIndia that there are several such cases. Most of the time the complainant turns hostile and there have been instances of the case being thrown out by the court. [Shocking: Uber rape opens Pandora's box]

Pressure to proceed

In many cases, the police appears to be pressurised to file a chargesheet as such incidents are played out every single minute. The media forces ministers to react which adds to the pressure. The police is forced to file a hurried chargesheet and for the want of supporting evidence, the accused ends up with an acquittal.

However the media role must also be commended in those cases where the police have deliberately done a lacklustre job or bowed to influential people. The Jessica Lal murder case is one such instance. [Uber rape case: Accused cab driver confesses rod threat]

To ban or not to

While regulations are the need of the hour to ensure safety of women, many would feel that a knee jerk reaction is not the solution.

Uber must be investigated for taking on a driver without doing a background check. There is no way that they can get away by stating that they do not do a background verification. People call the Uber driver trusting the company and hence the company must be held accoutable. [Uber rape case: NCW seeks police report]

Out of 69,000 rape cases, only 16,000 convictions have taken place since 2009.

While the Delhi government has issued a blanket ban instead of a suspension, it is yet to be seen if crimes against women come down.

Take the case of the BPO employee rape and murder case at Bangalore. The cab belonged to a company called SRS. The company was not banned but stringent norms were introduced and so far it appears to have worked‎. The main norm introduced was that in corporate cabs no woman employee shall travel alone. ['Banning Uber not a solution']

Statistics paint a poor picture

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics show that at an average there are 93 rapes reported everyday. The statistics also show that the number of such incidents have risen‎ from 24,923 in 2012 to 33,707 in 2013.

Delhi infact has the worst record. There were 1,441 incidents reported in 2013 when compared to 580 in 2012.‎ This only shows that despite there being so much said and done the statistics have shown no signs of improvement. [Uber is responsible for the lapse]