The trouble with hushing up and why every case of rape must be reported

For the past few years, India has reported a larger number of rape cases involving minors. The National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) report from 2020 only presents disturbing statistics.

Crime statistics
Out of the 3,71,505 cases of crime against women reported, which is a slight drop compared to 2019 and 2018, 28,046 were incidents of rape. Out of the2,655 cases of rape, 2605 involves minors (less than 18 years of age).

Rajasthan recorded the highest number of rape cases, which was 5310, involving 5337 victims, out of which 1279 were minors. Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh were right after Rajasthan, with 587 and 206 minor victims, respectively. Among Union Territories, Chandigarh reported the highest number of rape cases: 60 cases involving 60 victims, out of which 46 were minor victims.

It is important to remember that these are only the reported numbers. According to the National Family Health Survey analysis, over 99.1% of rapes go unreported in India.

Reasons for not reporting
One of the main reasons for rape cases going unreported in India is the social taboo. Cases go unreported because of the reputation of the victim's family. Moreover, there is a tendency of the victim herself being blamed.Moreover, the perpetrator of the crime is often a family member, friend or neighbour, so the matter is mostly hushed away.

Another prime reason for this is that minors do not have a proper mental capacity or enough knowledge to understand and analyse what has happened to them. The absence of evidence due to washing away (in case of oral or anal penetration), use of condoms, etc., only manages to present a sceptical case, which families often tend to ignore. The victims repress these memories until later in life or lifelong.

While these are the primary reasons for a majority of rape cases not being reported, one should also bear in mind that over a period of time the victim faces severe psychological issues

Prevention is better than cure

Educating children at a young age at both school and home about the importance of "good touch" and "bad touch" could go a long way in the prevention of rape of minors. Training them for self-defence could help them if the perpetrator manages to gain access to them. Surveillance systems in public places need to be improved to curb perpetrators further. Laws need more tightening, and punishment for perpetrators needs to be strict and immediate.

Thejudiciary has a big role to play and should be more proactive, prudent and vigilant so that these cases are fast-tracked and files relating to it don't catch dust.

All one can hope for in thefuture is that the toxic culture of rape and victim-blaming are done away with and those who have become victims of monsters indulging in pedophilia find ways to heal for now.