The Hindu : New Delhi News : “Harshest punishment needed for crimes against women”

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“Harshest punishment needed for crimes against women”

Staff Reporter

Photo: PTI

Seminar: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit interacting with actor Sharmila Tagore in the Capital on Saturday during a discussion on “Guidelines for Managing Sexual Assault".

NEW DELHI: Stating that there was no place for crime against women in a civilised society, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday called for the harshest possible punishment for those indulging in heinous crime like rape and sexual assault.

Speaking at the inauguration of a consultation on “Guidelines for managing sexual assault” organised by the Delhi Commission for Women at Delhi Secretariat, the Chief Minister said rape, molestation and sexual assault were a stigma on civilised society. She said it was the responsibility of the government to provide assistance to the victims and to restore their mental normalcy.

“It is not enough to provide just financial assistance to the victim. Much more needs to be done. There was a time when such incidents were not reported due to fear that they would bring a bad name but today in the era of media activism, it is becoming difficult to cover up such incidents. The crime of rape is not less than murder and there is no ground to grant bail to the criminal,” Ms. Dikshit said.

The Chief Minister also called for preventing such incidents rather that only providing the cure after they had taken place.

She said while those involved in rape cases should be socially boycotted there is a need to change the outlook towards the victims so that they are not further victimised due to the attachment of a social stigma.

Pointing that the Delhi Commission for Women had in 2005 set up the Rape Crisis Cell in association with the Delhi State Home Department and Legal Services, she said it offers a 24-hour legal helpline that can be accessed by both a victim and the police and ensures that a lawyer is informed as soon as an incident of rape is reported.

Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification, underlined the need to sensitise the police and the community. She described rape as a more serious crime than murder as it carries a huge social stigma with it.

She said it was imperative that the community, police, judges, women and law enforcement agencies carry out their responsibilities in all earnestness to provide justice and succour to the victims of such crimes.

The day-long meeting was also attended by the Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, Barkha Singh, and a number of bureaucrats, advocates, police officers, representatives of NGOs and noted social workers. There were five sessions that concentrated on different issues.

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