The mother of a teenage rape survivor tells NDTV how she sent her daughter to a correction home fearing her safety.
For the third consecutive year in a row, Madhya Pradesh has been ranked number 1 by the National Crime Records Bureau for the maximum number of rape cases. In 2014, the state recorded 5,076 rape cases, which is an average of 13 rapes every day. Half of the women who were raped were minors.
In Bhopal, NDTV met with the family of a 17 year old girl who was repeatedly raped and blackmailed a year ago, allegedly by a neighbour. When the parents found out, they registered a complaint but the neighbour was out on bail within a week. The family of the teen says they are still receiving threats and for the safety of their daughter they put her in a correction home where she is dealing with the trauma on her own.
"My daughter is at a children correction home in a way suffering and the accused is out on bail. I cannot bring my daughter home fearing that he may harm her," said the rape survivor's mother.
Madhya Pradesh also tops the list when it comes to sexual offence, with 15,170 cases registered last year.
Activists say the state has a host of welfare scheme for girls and women but lacks vision to ensure their safety.
"Chief Minister's Vision 2018 does not have much focus on crime against women in it. It talks about domestic violence, that too about their welfare scheme, but there is no mention of steps they will take to bring down crime against women," Prarthana Mishra, an activist from NGO Sangini told NDTV.
The state government has formed an all-women Nirbhaya team to patrol and check crime against women and set up a women's helpline. But there is a lack of dedicated personnel for such projects. The BJP government, embarrassed, is now evading the media over the issue.
When we approached Home Minister Babulal Gaur on the issue he chose to evade the question and walked away briskly.