Karnataka - Gulbarga   

Fall in number of cases of crimes against women

Special Correspondent

The State Crime Records Bureau says it came down from 6,170 in 2002 to 5,729 in 2004

GULBARGA: The number of cases of crimes against women decreased in the State between 2002 and 2004, according to figures compiled by the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB).

The number of cases of rape, molestation, sexual harassment and trafficking came down over these three years.

However, there was an increase in the number of cases of kidnapping, abduction and dowry deaths.

According to SCRB figures, the number of cases of crimes against women fell from 6,170 in 2002 to 6,121 in 2003 and 5,729 in 2004. The figures for 2005 are yet to be compiled.

Official sources told The Hindu here that though the number of cases of crimes against women has come down, the increase in cases of kidnapping, abduction and dowry death is a cause for concern.

As many as 292 cases of rape were registered in 2002, 321 in 2003 and 291 in 2004, which was an all-time low. The number of cases related to torture of women, which was 1,826 in 2002, fell to 1,588 in 2004.

Harassment

Sources said the number of cases of molestation decreased from 1,648 cases in 2002 to 1,435 in 2004, and that of sexual harassment from 100 cases to 57 in the same period. Compared with 1,388 cases registered under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act in 2002, 1,170 cases were registered in 2004.

Although there was a decrease in the number of cases registered under the Dowry Prohibition Act from 383 in 2002 to 337 in 2004, there was an increase in "dowry deaths" — from 233 in 2002 to 259 in 2004.

Age of victims

Sources said though the total number of cases of rape came down in the period under discussion, the number of victims in the age group of 18 and increased sharply from 24 in 2002 (54 in 2003) to 249 in 2004.

There were 26 victims in the age group of less than 10 years in 2002, 18 in 2003, and 15 in 2004, and 56 victims in the age group of 10 to 14 years in 2002, 47 in 2003 and 15 in 2004.

In the age group of 14 to 18 years, there were 186 victims in 2002 and 202 in 2003.

The figure fell sharply to 12 in 2004.

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