New Delhi:
Rehabilitation and compensation of rape victims, gender sensitisation of the police force and depiction of women across different media platforms are likely to be the focus of the meeting between the Centre and the Chief Secretaries and top cops of states in New Delhi today.
The meeting has been called in the wake of gang-rape and brutal attack on a 23-year-old medical student in Delhi last month that has evoked nation-wide outrage. She died in a Singapore hospital last week. In the meeting, the Union Home, Law and Women and Child Development Ministries will also review the progress of investigations and trial of cases of violence against women across all states.
The conference will look at "challenges in combating crime and strategies at eliminating violence" against women, said a release from the Home Ministry.
The meeting will analyse recent statistics on crimes against women, infanticide and female foeticide. It will also discuss atrocities against the weaker sections, institutional mechanisms and capacity building, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
On December 16, Amanat (NOT her real name), was travelling with her male friend on a bus. The six men on board hit the couple relentlessly with an iron rod and took turns raping her. They then pushed the student and her friend on to the road.
The Delhi Police on Thursday formally charged five men with the murder and rape of the young medical student. They have also been charged with destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy. If convicted, they could face the death penalty. The sixth man on the bus who has been arrested claims he is 17; unless a bone test proves otherwise, his case will be handled at a juvenile court where the maximum sentence would be three years in a reform facility.
The heinous attack on the girl and a male companion has aborted a wary resignation of poor security for women and ineffectual laws. Caught off-guard by the scale of public fury, the government has promised to introduce the death penalty for extreme sexual crimes, and fast-track rape cases to ensure verdicts are delivered quickly.
Although, everyone across the political spectrum and activists have sought stringent punishment for rape and change in the laws, there is no consensus as what would qualify as "stringent punishment". Some like the BJP has sought death sentence while others have demanded chemical castration as a just punishment for rapist. The government, however, has said that it is willing consider death penalty as a punishment in the "rarest of the rare cases." Besides this, the key challenge before the government is how to implement the law and ensure that trials are speedy.
(With inputs from IANS)