<p>Striking at one of the most severe questions posed to the rape victims, an exhibition at Belgium aims to prove that clothes have no role to play in inciting rape.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>The exhibition called &quot; Is It My Fault?&quot; is organised at the Centre Communautaire Maritime in Brussels.</p>

<p>It is organised with a motive to prove &quot;a person&#39;s outfit can never be seen as a mitigating circumstance or provocation by a rapist&quot; a media report said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The exhibit features clothes worn by rape victims at the time of the sexual assault. Items such as pyjamas, tracksuits and also a child&#39;s My Little Pony shirt were borrowed from&nbsp;victim support CAW East Brabant.</p>

<p>Citing a training and counselling employee of CAW, the media report said that all the pieces were very normal&quot;.</p>

<p>The exhibition will continue till January 20.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The exhibition, called 'Is It My Fault?', is on at the Centre Communautaire Maritime and will continue till January 20

Striking at one of the most severe questions posed to the rape victims, an exhibition at Belgium aims to prove that clothes have no role to play in inciting rape. × The exhibition called " Is It My Fault?" is organised at the Centre Communautaire Maritime in Brussels. It is organised with a motive to prove "a person's outfit can never be seen as a mitigating circumstance or provocation by a rapist" a media report said. The exhibit features clothes worn by rape victims at the time of the sexual assault. Items such as pyjamas, tracksuits and also a child's My Little Pony shirt were borrowed from victim support CAW East Brabant. Citing a training and counselling employee of CAW, the media report said that all the pieces were very normal". The exhibition will continue till January 20.

To prove clothes do not incite rape, Brussels exhibition displays rape victims' clothes

<p>Two civilians were killed when officers fired live rounds to disburse crowds that attacked a police station in Pakistan on Wednesday in a protest over the rape and murder of a 7-year-old girl.</p>

<p>Police recovered the body of Zainab Ansari on Tuesday from a garbage dumpster in the town of Kasur in eastern Pakistan, four days after she was reported missing.</p>

<p>It was the twelfth incident of a girl being abducted, raped, and killed in the past year in Kasur district, police say. Residents have been furious at the authorities for what they see as a failure to investigate such cases.</p>

<p>The spokesman for Pakistan&#39;s Punjab province, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, told Reuters that protesters turned violent and attacked a local police office.</p>

<p>&quot;They started throwing stones at the office and some of armed protesters shot bullets at police. In order to stop them, police resorted to aerial firing,&quot; Khan said, adding that two people were killed and one wounded as a result.</p>

<p>Locals said police responded with undue force.</p>

<p>&quot;A peaceful protest was taking place, some students threw stones and police responded by firing at the crowd,&quot; Saleem ur Rehman, a resident who was at the protest, told Reuters. &quot;The law and order situation here is really bad and there have been many such incidents. That is what the protest was about.&quot;</p>

<p>Ansari&#39;s parents, who were not in the country when their daughter was kidnapped, returned on Wednesday.</p>

<p>&quot;I want justice! I want justice!&quot; Zainab&#39;s mother cried, surrounded by reporters at the international airport in the capital Islamabad.</p>

<p>Ansari&#39;s case has attracted the attention of the country&#39;s civilian and military leadership, with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif calling for immediate action.</p>

<p>Police in Kasur deny they have been lax in investigating child abductions in the town. Regional police officer Zulfiqar Hameed told Reuters that four kidnappers had been arrested and another killed during an arrest attempt.</p>

<p>&quot;Investigations reveal that in each case a paedophile kidnaps little girls, rapes them and kills them,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The case of Ansari would soon be solved, he said: &quot;We have got CCTV footage that shows a young man taking her along. We will catch him very soon,&quot; he said, adding that 95 DNA samples had been taken from suspects.</p>

<p>A number of police officials have been transferred out of the region for failing to investigate complaints of missing children since 2015, when authorities uncovered what they called a paedophile ring linked to a prominent local family. At least two people have been convicted in the case, in which authorities say hundreds of children in the district were abused.</p>


It was the twelfth incident of a girl being abducted, raped, and killed in the past year in Punjab's Kasur district, police say

Two civilians were killed when officers fired live rounds to disburse crowds that attacked a police station in Pakistan on Wednesday in a protest over the rape and murder of a 7-year-old girl. Police recovered the body of Zainab Ansari on Tuesday from a garbage dumpster in the town of Kasur in eastern Pakistan, four days after she was reported missing. It was the twelfth incident of a girl being abducted, raped, and killed in the past year in Kasur district, police say. Residents have been furious at the authorities for what they see as a failure to investigate such cases. The spokesman for Pakistan's Punjab province, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, told Reuters that protesters turned violent and attacked a local police office. "They started throwing stones at the office and some of armed protesters shot bullets at police. In order to stop them, police resorted to aerial firing," Khan said, adding that two people were killed and one wounded as a result. Locals said police responded with undue force. "A peaceful protest was taking place, some students threw stones and police responded by firing at the crowd," Saleem ur Rehman, a resident who was at the protest, told Reuters. "The law and order situation here is really bad and there have been many such incidents. That is what the protest was about." Ansari's parents, who were not in the country when their daughter was kidnapped, returned on Wednesday. "I want justice! I want justice!" Zainab's mother cried, surrounded by reporters at the international airport in the capital Islamabad. Ansari's case has attracted the attention of the country's civilian and military leadership, with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif calling for immediate action. Police in Kasur deny they have been lax in investigating child abductions in the town. Regional police officer Zulfiqar Hameed told Reuters that four kidnappers had been arrested and another killed during an arrest attempt. "Investigations reveal that in each case a paedophile kidnaps little girls, rapes them and kills them," he said. The case of Ansari would soon be solved, he said: "We have got CCTV footage that shows a young man taking her along. We will catch him very soon," he said, adding that 95 DNA samples had been taken from suspects. A number of police officials have been transferred out of the region for failing to investigate complaints of missing children since 2015, when authorities uncovered what they called a paedophile ring linked to a prominent local family. At least two people have been convicted in the case, in which authorities say hundreds of children in the district were abused.

Two dead in protests over Pakistan girl's rape and murder

<p>The distraught father of a 7-year- old girl who was brutally raped and murdered in Pakistan has blamed the &quot;callous attitude&quot; of police as the government roped in military intelligence and the ISI to probe the horrific incident that shocked the country.</p>

<p>The girl in Kasur district of Punjab province was abducted last week outside her home. Her body was found in a rubbish dump on Tuesday.</p>

<p>She had gone to a religious tuition centre near her house in Kasur city, some 50 km from Lahore, on January 5 from where a man said to be a &#39;serial killer&#39; abducted her, police said.</p>

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<h5>Police was quick to open fire on the people seeking justice for my daughter but showed it&#39;s routine callous attitude to trace her when she had gone missing,&#39; the father said</h5>
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<p>&quot;A serial killer seems to be behind this incident. That serial killer may have been involved in other eight such cases in Kasur,&quot; senior police officer Zulfiqar Hameed said.</p>

<p>Her parents were in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah and she had been living with a maternal aunt.</p>

<p>According to a preliminary post-mortem report, the girl was raped multiple times before being strangled to death.</p>

<p>There were visible marks of torture on her face, congestion in her muscles.</p>

<p>The horrific incident triggered public outage throughout the country with people demanding justice for the child. The protests continued for the second day.</p>

<p>The protesters attacked the out house of a ruling PMLN legislator in Kasur and set ablaze his two cars. They also ransacked a district hospital in Kasur.</p>

<p>In Lahore, angry demonstrators blocked Ferozpur Road suspending the metro bus service. In Rawalpindi, traffic remained suspended for several hours as protesters demanded justice for her.</p>

<p>Police opened fire at the protesters that left two people dead.</p>

<p>&quot;My daughter could have been saved had police acted when she was abducted on January 5,&quot; Muhammad Amin told reporters.</p>

<p>He said he had no faith in Punjab police to trace the killers of his daughter.</p>

<p>&quot;Police was quick to open fire on the people seeking justice for my daughter but showed it&#39;s routine callous attitude to trace her when she had gone missing,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;I have appealed to the army chief and the chief justice of Pakistan to give me justice as I have no faith in Punjab government and police,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The chief justice has taken suo motu notice of the incident while the army chief ordered the ISI and military intelligence to help police trace the girl&#39;s killers.</p>

<p>Kiran Naz, a TV anchor, brought her daughter to a news programme and blamed the government&#39;s inefficiency for the incident as she called the incident a murder of humanity.</p>

<p>Geo News published the last poem written by her on January 4 before she was kidnapped.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Punjab government announced 10 million Pakistani rupees reward for providing information of the killers.</p>

<p>&quot;We have registered a murder case against four policemen involved in the killing of two protesters,&quot; the police said.</p>

<p>According to a NGO Sahil, every day more than 11 children under the age of 18 fall prey to sexual abuse in Punjab province of Pakistan.</p>

<p>Last year 4,139 incidents of child abuse took place in the province where 43 per cent of victims knew the perpetrators.&nbsp;</p>


Two people have died in the protests that broke out after the rape and murder of the 8-year-old girl

The distraught father of a 7-year- old girl who was brutally raped and murdered in Pakistan has blamed the "callous attitude" of police as the government roped in military intelligence and the ISI to probe the horrific incident that shocked the country. The girl in Kasur district of Punjab province was abducted last week outside her home. Her body was found in a rubbish dump on Tuesday. She had gone to a religious tuition centre near her house in Kasur city, some 50 km from Lahore, on January 5 from where a man said to be a 'serial killer' abducted her, police said. Police was quick to open fire on the people seeking justice for my daughter but showed it's routine callous attitude to trace her when she had gone missing,' the father said × "A serial killer seems to be behind this incident. That serial killer may have been involved in other eight such cases in Kasur," senior police officer Zulfiqar Hameed said. Her parents were in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah and she had been living with a maternal aunt. According to a preliminary post-mortem report, the girl was raped multiple times before being strangled to death. There were visible marks of torture on her face, congestion in her muscles. The horrific incident triggered public outage throughout the country with people demanding justice for the child. The protests continued for the second day. The protesters attacked the out house of a ruling PMLN legislator in Kasur and set ablaze his two cars. They also ransacked a district hospital in Kasur. In Lahore, angry demonstrators blocked Ferozpur Road suspending the metro bus service. In Rawalpindi, traffic remained suspended for several hours as protesters demanded justice for her. Police opened fire at the protesters that left two people dead. "My daughter could have been saved had police acted when she was abducted on January 5," Muhammad Amin told reporters. He said he had no faith in Punjab police to trace the killers of his daughter. "Police was quick to open fire on the people seeking justice for my daughter but showed it's routine callous attitude to trace her when she had gone missing," he said. "I have appealed to the army chief and the chief justice of Pakistan to give me justice as I have no faith in Punjab government and police," he said. The chief justice has taken suo motu notice of the incident while the army chief ordered the ISI and military intelligence to help police trace the girl's killers. Kiran Naz, a TV anchor, brought her daughter to a news programme and blamed the government's inefficiency for the incident as she called the incident a murder of humanity. Geo News published the last poem written by her on January 4 before she was kidnapped. Meanwhile, Punjab government announced 10 million Pakistani rupees reward for providing information of the killers. "We have registered a murder case against four policemen involved in the killing of two protesters," the police said. According to a NGO Sahil, every day more than 11 children under the age of 18 fall prey to sexual abuse in Punjab province of Pakistan. Last year 4,139 incidents of child abuse took place in the province where 43 per cent of victims knew the perpetrators.

Pakistan: Father blames police's callous attitude for daughter's rape, murder

<p>An eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered in Pakistan&#39;s Punjab province, triggering riots in which two people were killed in clashes with police.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to CCTV footage, the girl in Kasur district was abducted last week outside her home. Her body was found in a rubbish dump yesterday, police said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Last night the girl&#39;s body was found from a heap of garbage in Saddar area of the city,&quot; Regional Police Officer (Kasur) Zulffiqar Hameed said, adding the body had been sent for autopsy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Initial autopsy report suggests that the girl was strangulated after rape,&quot; Hameed said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The murder has sparked outrage across Pakistan. Well- known film and cricket stars demanded the killer be caught and the military offered support to the police.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">My message on the horrific Kasur tragedy and the police brutality that ensued. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JusticeForZainab?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JusticeForZainab</a> <a href="https://t.co/3c7WMmLF0f">pic.twitter.com/3c7WMmLF0f</a></p>
&mdash; Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/951111111046303744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JusticeForZainab?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JusticeForZainab</a> There have been 11 Zainabs in Kasur last year, we forgot about them after a brief outrage! Now, will we force Police, Govts &amp; Courts to act on the 12th Zainab or forget about this too after a few days &amp; wait for a 13th Zainab to make us angry again?</p>
&mdash; Hamza Ali Abbasi (@iamhamzaabbasi) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamhamzaabbasi/status/951123521744330752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The girl was staying with her relatives while her parents had gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Hijaz, Saudi Arabia, performed by Muslims that can be undertaken at any time of the year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The police have taken four suspects into custody.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We are trying to identify the person who was seen taking the girl along in the footage,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Riots erupted in Kasur over police inaction after reports of the alleged rape and murder of the girl began circulating on social media.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The protesters pelted stone at the police station, offices of the district police officer and district coordination officer in Kasur as the city observed a complete shutter down to protest against the brutal murder.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Police resorted to &#39;direct&#39; and aerial firing to disperse the protesters, media reports said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Two persons who suffered serious bullet injuries during the protest succumbed to their injuries,&quot; a rescue official said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Mansoor Ali Shah took notice of the murder and sought report from the Punjab government.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said he would personally monitor this case and would not rest till culprits brought to justice.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif has directed his younger brother Shahbaz to immediately arrest the culprits and bring them to justice.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ruling PML-N member Punjab Assembly Hina Butt submitted a privilege motion in the assembly, seeking justice for 11 other minor girls who were killed after rape in Kasur and adjoining areas during the last year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Opposition PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto has termed the brutal rape and murder of the girl as &quot;shocking and a slap on the face of Sharifdom (Sharif brothers)&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, former military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf, Maryam Nawaz and other politicians condemned the incident and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Test cricketers Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz tweeted that it was unbelievable that this brutal incident took place in Pakistan. &quot;Our thoughts are with the parents of the girl,&quot; they said and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.</p>


Riots erupted in Kasur over police inaction after reports of the alleged rape and murder of the girl began circulating on social media

An eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered in Pakistan's Punjab province, triggering riots in which two people were killed in clashes with police. According to CCTV footage, the girl in Kasur district was abducted last week outside her home. Her body was found in a rubbish dump yesterday, police said. "Last night the girl's body was found from a heap of garbage in Saddar area of the city," Regional Police Officer (Kasur) Zulffiqar Hameed said, adding the body had been sent for autopsy. "Initial autopsy report suggests that the girl was strangulated after rape," Hameed said. The murder has sparked outrage across Pakistan. Well- known film and cricket stars demanded the killer be caught and the military offered support to the police. My message on the horrific Kasur tragedy and the police brutality that ensued. #JusticeForZainab pic.twitter.com/3c7WMmLF0f — Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 10, 2018 × #JusticeForZainab There have been 11 Zainabs in Kasur last year, we forgot about them after a brief outrage! Now, will we force Police, Govts & Courts to act on the 12th Zainab or forget about this too after a few days & wait for a 13th Zainab to make us angry again? — Hamza Ali Abbasi (@iamhamzaabbasi) January 10, 2018 × The girl was staying with her relatives while her parents had gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Hijaz, Saudi Arabia, performed by Muslims that can be undertaken at any time of the year. The police have taken four suspects into custody. "We are trying to identify the person who was seen taking the girl along in the footage," he said. Riots erupted in Kasur over police inaction after reports of the alleged rape and murder of the girl began circulating on social media. The protesters pelted stone at the police station, offices of the district police officer and district coordination officer in Kasur as the city observed a complete shutter down to protest against the brutal murder. Police resorted to 'direct' and aerial firing to disperse the protesters, media reports said. "Two persons who suffered serious bullet injuries during the protest succumbed to their injuries," a rescue official said. Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Mansoor Ali Shah took notice of the murder and sought report from the Punjab government. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said he would personally monitor this case and would not rest till culprits brought to justice. Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif has directed his younger brother Shahbaz to immediately arrest the culprits and bring them to justice. Ruling PML-N member Punjab Assembly Hina Butt submitted a privilege motion in the assembly, seeking justice for 11 other minor girls who were killed after rape in Kasur and adjoining areas during the last year. Opposition PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto has termed the brutal rape and murder of the girl as "shocking and a slap on the face of Sharifdom (Sharif brothers)". Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, former military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf, Maryam Nawaz and other politicians condemned the incident and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits. Test cricketers Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz tweeted that it was unbelievable that this brutal incident took place in Pakistan. "Our thoughts are with the parents of the girl," they said and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.

Protests erupt after rape and murder of 8-year-old girl in Pakistan's Punjab

<p><br />
The single-member Peshawar High Court bench has directed that DNA tests will now be mandatory on the suspect as well as the alleged victim in sexual assault cases.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Justice Roohul Amin Khan Chamkani ruled that under that Section 164-B of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which was inserted in the law by Criminal Law Act 2016, DNA samples of the rapist and the victim will be collected and sent for examination as soon as possible.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The bench further observed, &quot;It further provides that the DNA samples collected shall be sent at earliest for the purpose of the investigation to a Forensic Laboratory, where the same shall be properly examined and preserved.&quot;</p>

<p>The decision was passed in a comprehensive judgement of bail petition filed by Umar Taj, who was earlier charged with sexually abusing and raping a woman, local media reports said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the judgement, Justice Roohul Amin Khan talked about laws on Protection of Women (Criminal law Amendment) Act, 2006, and the Criminal Law (Amendment) (Offences Related to Rape) Act, 2016 - aimed at protecting women from sexual abuse, adultery and fornication.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As per reports, it was ruled that Section 164-B CrPC linked with carrying out DNA tests would be applicable under Section 376 (Punishment for Rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The PPC Section 376 awards punishment of death or imprisonment for a term of 10 to 20 years and fine for an accused proved guilty of rape.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The judgement passed by the bench also observed that the offence of sexual intercourse between people not married to each other is non-cognisable and that a complaint has to be lodged in the concerned court in connection with the offence.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The bench further observed, 'It further provides that the DNA samples collected shall be sent at earliest for the purpose of the investigation to a Forensic Laboratory, where the same shall be properly examined and preserved'

The single-member Peshawar High Court bench has directed that DNA tests will now be mandatory on the suspect as well as the alleged victim in sexual assault cases. Justice Roohul Amin Khan Chamkani ruled that under that Section 164-B of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which was inserted in the law by Criminal Law Act 2016, DNA samples of the rapist and the victim will be collected and sent for examination as soon as possible. The bench further observed, "It further provides that the DNA samples collected shall be sent at earliest for the purpose of the investigation to a Forensic Laboratory, where the same shall be properly examined and preserved." The decision was passed in a comprehensive judgement of bail petition filed by Umar Taj, who was earlier charged with sexually abusing and raping a woman, local media reports said. In the judgement, Justice Roohul Amin Khan talked about laws on Protection of Women (Criminal law Amendment) Act, 2006, and the Criminal Law (Amendment) (Offences Related to Rape) Act, 2016 - aimed at protecting women from sexual abuse, adultery and fornication. As per reports, it was ruled that Section 164-B CrPC linked with carrying out DNA tests would be applicable under Section 376 (Punishment for Rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The PPC Section 376 awards punishment of death or imprisonment for a term of 10 to 20 years and fine for an accused proved guilty of rape. The judgement passed by the bench also observed that the offence of sexual intercourse between people not married to each other is non-cognisable and that a complaint has to be lodged in the concerned court in connection with the offence.

Pakistan high court: DNA test mandatory in sexual assault cases

<p>Today, December 16, 2017, marks the fifth anniversary of the &ldquo;Nirbhaya&rdquo; Delhi gangrape case.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Among the six accused, Ram Singh - the driver of the bus, allegedly committed suicide on 11 March 2013 in Tihar jail. The others were tried in a fast track court. All five accused were convicted of rape and murder.</p>

<p>&nbsp;The juvenile, however, was given a maximum sentence of three years of imprisonment in reform facility while the remaining four were sentenced to death by hanging.</p>

<p>&nbsp;The medical reports had shown that a blunt object (subjected to be iron rod) was used for attacking the private part of the victim. According to the police, the rod was rusted, L-shaped of the type used as a wheel jack handle.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Reports said that one of the accused men admitted to having seen a rope-like object being pulled out of the woman&rsquo;s body by one of his companions. It was widely believed the juvenile was behind the heinous act.</p>

<p>&nbsp;A juvenile is now a free man, roaming the streets having served out his time at the reform facility.</p>

<p>&nbsp;The brutal gangrape of the 23-year-old physiotherapy intern in 2012 had led to huge protests in the national capital and had shaken the nation.</p>

<p>&nbsp;As a result, a judicial committee was set up to study and take public suggestions for the best ways to amend laws and provide quicker investigation and prosecution of sex offenders.</p>

<p>&nbsp;In 2013, the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance was passed by the then President Pranab Mukherjee. Fast-track courts were introduced to hear rape cases.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;Justice Verma Committee submitted a report on January 23, 2013 to the government.</p>

<p>&nbsp;The report recommended amendments to the Criminal Law to provide speedy trial and punishment for criminals in sexual assault cases.</p>

<p>&nbsp;It made recommendations on laws relating to rape, sexual harassment, trafficking, child sexual abuse, medical examination of victims, police, electoral and educational reforms.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Key recommendations by the committee:</p>

<p>&nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The report stressed that rape should not be limited to penetration of the vagina, mouth or anus and added that any non-consensual penetration of a sexual nature should be included in the definition of rape.</p>

<p>&nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Stating that the relation between the victim and the accused should not be seen, the committee recommended that the exception to marital rape should be removed.</p>

<p>&nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It also recommended that use of words, acts or gestures that create an unwelcome threat of a sexual nature should be termed as &ldquo;sexual assault&rdquo; and be punishable with 1 year of imprisonment or fine or both.</p>

<p>&nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;It suggested a punishment of imprisonment for 10 years or life to criminalise trafficking by threat, force or inducement. It also recommended criminalising employment of a trafficked person.</p>

<p>&nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It said that death penalty should not be awarded for the offense of rape, instead recommended life imprisonment for rape. It based its argument saying there was considerable evidence that death penalty was not a deterrence to serious crimes.</p>

<p>&nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;It recommended the discontinuation of the two-finger test which is conducted to determine the laxity of the vaginal muscles.</p>

<p>&nbsp;&middot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;It recognised voyeurism, molestation to be punished with imprisonment up to seven years while stalking or unwanted attempts to contact a person repeatedly up to three years.</p>

<p>&nbsp;The recommendations were based after a rigorous investigation.</p>

<p>&nbsp;While investigating, the committee realised that a major loophole existed at the level of registering an FIR. It, therefore, recommended reforms in police and FIR structure.</p>

<p>&nbsp;The Commission said that rape crises cells should be set up at every police station to enable legal assistance to the survivor.</p>

<p>&nbsp;It ordered almost all big cities to install CCTV cameras in police stations.</p>

<p>&nbsp;In addition, it recommended women cops to be posted at police stations to handle sexual offenses and police personnel to be trained specifically to deal with gender crimes.</p>

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Today,?December 16, 2017, marks the fifth anniversary of the 'Nirbhaya' Delhi gangrape case

Today, December 16, 2017, marks the fifth anniversary of the “Nirbhaya” Delhi gangrape case. Among the six accused, Ram Singh - the driver of the bus, allegedly committed suicide on 11 March 2013 in Tihar jail. The others were tried in a fast track court. All five accused were convicted of rape and murder. The juvenile, however, was given a maximum sentence of three years of imprisonment in reform facility while the remaining four were sentenced to death by hanging. The medical reports had shown that a blunt object (subjected to be iron rod) was used for attacking the private part of the victim. According to the police, the rod was rusted, L-shaped of the type used as a wheel jack handle. Reports said that one of the accused men admitted to having seen a rope-like object being pulled out of the woman’s body by one of his companions. It was widely believed the juvenile was behind the heinous act. A juvenile is now a free man, roaming the streets having served out his time at the reform facility. The brutal gangrape of the 23-year-old physiotherapy intern in 2012 had led to huge protests in the national capital and had shaken the nation. As a result, a judicial committee was set up to study and take public suggestions for the best ways to amend laws and provide quicker investigation and prosecution of sex offenders. In 2013, the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance was passed by the then President Pranab Mukherjee. Fast-track courts were introduced to hear rape cases. Justice Verma Committee submitted a report on January 23, 2013 to the government. The report recommended amendments to the Criminal Law to provide speedy trial and punishment for criminals in sexual assault cases. It made recommendations on laws relating to rape, sexual harassment, trafficking, child sexual abuse, medical examination of victims, police, electoral and educational reforms. Key recommendations by the committee: · The report stressed that rape should not be limited to penetration of the vagina, mouth or anus and added that any non-consensual penetration of a sexual nature should be included in the definition of rape. · Stating that the relation between the victim and the accused should not be seen, the committee recommended that the exception to marital rape should be removed. · It also recommended that use of words, acts or gestures that create an unwelcome threat of a sexual nature should be termed as “sexual assault” and be punishable with 1 year of imprisonment or fine or both. · It suggested a punishment of imprisonment for 10 years or life to criminalise trafficking by threat, force or inducement. It also recommended criminalising employment of a trafficked person. · It said that death penalty should not be awarded for the offense of rape, instead recommended life imprisonment for rape. It based its argument saying there was considerable evidence that death penalty was not a deterrence to serious crimes. · It recommended the discontinuation of the two-finger test which is conducted to determine the laxity of the vaginal muscles. · It recognised voyeurism, molestation to be punished with imprisonment up to seven years while stalking or unwanted attempts to contact a person repeatedly up to three years. The recommendations were based after a rigorous investigation. While investigating, the committee realised that a major loophole existed at the level of registering an FIR. It, therefore, recommended reforms in police and FIR structure. The Commission said that rape crises cells should be set up at every police station to enable legal assistance to the survivor. It ordered almost all big cities to install CCTV cameras in police stations. In addition, it recommended women cops to be posted at police stations to handle sexual offenses and police personnel to be trained specifically to deal with gender crimes. Women safety in India is a big concern and on the fifth anniversary of the Delhi gang rape, we look at what's changed and what hasn't. Watch this video for more information (WION) ×

'Nirbhaya' Delhi gangrape case: A judicial perspective

<p>A man was arrested on Saturday evening for allegedly raping his 15-year-old daughter for over a year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The accused, who was from Jagatpuri in east Delhi was booked under the protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after the girl&#39;s mother filed a complaint when she found out that the daughter had been stealing money to buy painkillers, reports said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The girl told her mother that she was being raped for over a year by her father and did not tell anyone as he had threated to kill her and that no one would believe her.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to reports, the man worked as a daily wage labourer with his wife and teenage son in Jagatpuri while the girl was a class IX student.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It was reported that the father had come home drunk one day, upon finding the girl alone he raped her and told her not to tell anyone and had since been assaulting the girl whenever he would find her alone.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The girl has suffered from some medical problems due to continuous sexual encounters, she is now being counselled by psychologists and receiving treatment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the father is being investigated to understand how long the incident had been going on for, reports said.&nbsp;</p>


The girl told her mother that she was being raped for over a year by her father and did not tell anyone as he had threated to kill her and that no one would believe her.

A man was arrested on Saturday evening for allegedly raping his 15-year-old daughter for over a year. The accused, who was from Jagatpuri in east Delhi was booked under the protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after the girl's mother filed a complaint when she found out that the daughter had been stealing money to buy painkillers, reports said. The girl told her mother that she was being raped for over a year by her father and did not tell anyone as he had threated to kill her and that no one would believe her. According to reports, the man worked as a daily wage labourer with his wife and teenage son in Jagatpuri while the girl was a class IX student. It was reported that the father had come home drunk one day, upon finding the girl alone he raped her and told her not to tell anyone and had since been assaulting the girl whenever he would find her alone. The girl has suffered from some medical problems due to continuous sexual encounters, she is now being counselled by psychologists and receiving treatment. Meanwhile, the father is being investigated to understand how long the incident had been going on for, reports said.

Delhi: Man arrested for raping her daughter for a year

<p>A man was arrested on Saturday on account of raping, filming the scene and then blackmailing a 26-year-old woman&nbsp;to extort money, media reports said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to reports, the man had coaxed the women by inviting her to his house to introduce her to potential clients as she worked&nbsp;in micro-finance.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Upon her arrival, she found out that he was alone which is when he allegedly raped and filmed her.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;As per reports, it was revealed that he had extorted about Rs. 2 lack from the woman after allegedly threatening her to leak the video.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The man had also demanded her to purchase a two-wheeler for him and pay the EMI&#39;s. The women finally filed a complaint on Friday, media reports said.&nbsp;</p>


According to reports, the man had coaxed the women by inviting her to his house to introduce her to potential clients as she worked?in micro-finance

A man was arrested on Saturday on account of raping, filming the scene and then blackmailing a 26-year-old woman to extort money, media reports said. According to reports, the man had coaxed the women by inviting her to his house to introduce her to potential clients as she worked in micro-finance. Upon her arrival, she found out that he was alone which is when he allegedly raped and filmed her. As per reports, it was revealed that he had extorted about Rs. 2 lack from the woman after allegedly threatening her to leak the video. The man had also demanded her to purchase a two-wheeler for him and pay the EMI's. The women finally filed a complaint on Friday, media reports said.

26-year-old women raped, filmed and blackmailed

<p>In a shocking incident, a four-year-old boy allegedly raped her classmate in a school in Delhi, reports said on Thursday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According&nbsp;to the&nbsp;FIR filed by her parents, the four-year-old girl had complained of pain in her private parts after coming back from school on Friday (Nov 17), last week, but the mother thought it was just &quot;one of her tantrums.&quot;</p>

<p>Hours after the girl continued to complain of the constant pain, she started crying, she broke her silence on the assault.</p>

<p>According to the parents, she narrated the whole incident that took place during the school hours.</p>

<p>The case has been lodged&nbsp;against the boy, who is likely to be the youngest accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 376 of IPS.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the FIR, the child&rsquo;s mother stated that she complained to the schoolteacher through a text message that night and&nbsp;informed the school again on Saturday, but the authorities reportedly did not help and asked the&nbsp;mother to file a written complaint on Monday.</p>

<p>After the medical examination of the girl,&nbsp;doctors confirmed she was&nbsp;sexually&nbsp;assaulted.&nbsp;The parents then lodged a complaint with the police.&nbsp;</p>


The case has been booked against the boy, who is likely to be the youngest allegedly accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 376 of IPS.?

In a shocking incident, a four-year-old boy allegedly raped her classmate in a school in Delhi, reports said on Thursday. According to the FIR filed by her parents, the four-year-old girl had complained of pain in her private parts after coming back from school on Friday (Nov 17), last week, but the mother thought it was just "one of her tantrums." Hours after the girl continued to complain of the constant pain, she started crying, she broke her silence on the assault. According to the parents, she narrated the whole incident that took place during the school hours. The case has been lodged against the boy, who is likely to be the youngest accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 376 of IPS. In the FIR, the child’s mother stated that she complained to the schoolteacher through a text message that night and informed the school again on Saturday, but the authorities reportedly did not help and asked the mother to file a written complaint on Monday. After the medical examination of the girl, doctors confirmed she was sexually assaulted. The parents then lodged a complaint with the police.

Delhi: 4-year-old boy booked for raping classmate

<p>French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, directed to carry out a slew of measures to fight against the &quot;horrific and shameful&quot; violence against women, and also pledged to make gender equality a major reason of his leadership.</p>

<p>&quot;Our entire society is sick with sexism,&quot; Macron said in a speech in Paris to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.</p>

<p>Macron started off the hour-long speech with a minute of silence to pay respect to the 123 women killed in 2016 in France by their partner or ex-partner, reports said.</p>

<p>&quot;France must no longer be one of those countries where women are afraid,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s seal a pact of equality between men and women,&rdquo; Macron said in a speech marking the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women. About violence and sexual abuse, he said: &ldquo;It is essential that shame changes camp.&rdquo;</p>

<p>A number of measures have been announced, including education to secondary school children on pornography and making a systematic but easy system for victims to go to the police for rape and assault cases.</p>

<p>Moreover, measures that may be added in a 2018 draft law could consist of criminalizing street harassment and increasing the statute of limitation for the rape of minors to 30 years from 20 years</p>

<p>The leader further said that he may propose to set the age for sexual consent to 15 as there is no such law yet in the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Further, changes may be made to administer rape and assault cases and create portals for victims to file complaints online before going to the police. Measure like &#39;on demand&#39; bus stops will also be proposed, wherein women will be allowed to stop the bus at any point to get home safely</p>

<p>French feminist group Osez le F&eacute;minisme said the measures were going in the right direction but must be accompanied by adequate funding.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Without funding, any communication, training, awareness or help plan for the victims will be useless,&rdquo; the statement said.</p>

<p>The conference also had a number of past victims who survived similar cases - a women who survived from being stabbed by her ex-partner, a mother of a student who was killed by her partner and set fire to her body after she ended the relationship, a Moroccan immigrant whose abusive husband burned down their home after she found the courage to flee to safety with their children, a Nigerian who was trafficked into a prostitution ring the day she set foot in Italy - were amongst some.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Nearly 225,000 women are said to have been victims of physical or sexual violence by their partner in France, but fewer than one in five have made a complaint to authorities.</p>

<p>The Harvey Weinstein scandal in the United States has accelerated a rethink of attitudes toward sexual harassment in France, a country that cherishes its self-image as the land of seduction and romance.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


During his speech, Macron observed a minute?s silence for the 123 women killed by their partner or ex-partner in 2016.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, directed to carry out a slew of measures to fight against the "horrific and shameful" violence against women, and also pledged to make gender equality a major reason of his leadership. "Our entire society is sick with sexism," Macron said in a speech in Paris to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Macron started off the hour-long speech with a minute of silence to pay respect to the 123 women killed in 2016 in France by their partner or ex-partner, reports said. "France must no longer be one of those countries where women are afraid," he said. “Let’s seal a pact of equality between men and women,” Macron said in a speech marking the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women. About violence and sexual abuse, he said: “It is essential that shame changes camp.” A number of measures have been announced, including education to secondary school children on pornography and making a systematic but easy system for victims to go to the police for rape and assault cases. Moreover, measures that may be added in a 2018 draft law could consist of criminalizing street harassment and increasing the statute of limitation for the rape of minors to 30 years from 20 years The leader further said that he may propose to set the age for sexual consent to 15 as there is no such law yet in the country. Further, changes may be made to administer rape and assault cases and create portals for victims to file complaints online before going to the police. Measure like 'on demand' bus stops will also be proposed, wherein women will be allowed to stop the bus at any point to get home safely French feminist group Osez le Féminisme said the measures were going in the right direction but must be accompanied by adequate funding. “Without funding, any communication, training, awareness or help plan for the victims will be useless,” the statement said. The conference also had a number of past victims who survived similar cases - a women who survived from being stabbed by her ex-partner, a mother of a student who was killed by her partner and set fire to her body after she ended the relationship, a Moroccan immigrant whose abusive husband burned down their home after she found the courage to flee to safety with their children, a Nigerian who was trafficked into a prostitution ring the day she set foot in Italy - were amongst some. Nearly 225,000 women are said to have been victims of physical or sexual violence by their partner in France, but fewer than one in five have made a complaint to authorities. The Harvey Weinstein scandal in the United States has accelerated a rethink of attitudes toward sexual harassment in France, a country that cherishes its self-image as the land of seduction and romance.

France's Macron unveils plan to combat 'shameful' violence against women

<p>A detailed &#39;safe-city&#39; plan for women will soon be undertaken in eight metropolises including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Hyderabad and will shortly include numerous emergency response systems along with transport authenticated by the police, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba announced on Wednesday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The meeting was also attended by Municipal commissioners, police commissioners, senior state government officials and civil society representatives.&nbsp;</p>

<p>With the increasing number of rape and related cases in India, the call for a robust plan was taken into account.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The number of rape cases alone in India mounted to over 35,000 in number, with around 376 cases solely in Delhi - till March 2017, according to reports by Delhi Police and National Crime Records Bureau.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The issues which have come up for discussion&nbsp;include 33 per cent reservation of women in police, installation of CCTV cameras, deployment of women in police stations, emergency response system, police verified public transport, prevention of cybercrime, infrastructure issues, mapping of dark spots and crime-prone areas and involvement of educational institutions, among others.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Various steps towards women safety were also discussed, including the &#39;Himmat&#39; app, &#39;shishtachar&#39; programme of Delhi Police; &#39;Hawkeye&#39; mobile app and &#39;Bharosa&#39; programme of Hyderabad Police; &#39;Suraksha&#39; app of Bengaluru Police and Power Angels of UP police. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Initiatives taken up by other cities comprised of mobile counseling vans for listening to complaints, installing additional lights in remote areas - mostly railway stations - adding complaint boxed where women could write anonymously and submit, various awareness programmes and conferences organized by the police as well as building shelter for women.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Moreover, steps for comprehensive use of social media for women&#39;s safety and means to reduce response time were discussed.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Other than that, adding additional CCTV and creating integrated command and control centers which will be under constant monitoring was also discussed. This integration should be in a time-bound and phased manner, Gauba said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The plan of action will be constructed by the police and municipal corporations of the eight cities and forwarded by the subsequent state-level committee headed by the chief secretary of the state. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The plan of action is to be submitted by these cities within a month and will be assessed by the Steering Committee headed by the Union Home Secretary, which will make suitable recommendations.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>(With inputs from PTI)</p>


The meeting was also attended by Municipal commissioners, police commissioners, senior state government officials and civil society representatives.?

A detailed 'safe-city' plan for women will soon be undertaken in eight metropolises including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Hyderabad and will shortly include numerous emergency response systems along with transport authenticated by the police, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba announced on Wednesday. The meeting was also attended by Municipal commissioners, police commissioners, senior state government officials and civil society representatives. With the increasing number of rape and related cases in India, the call for a robust plan was taken into account. The number of rape cases alone in India mounted to over 35,000 in number, with around 376 cases solely in Delhi - till March 2017, according to reports by Delhi Police and National Crime Records Bureau. The issues which have come up for discussion include 33 per cent reservation of women in police, installation of CCTV cameras, deployment of women in police stations, emergency response system, police verified public transport, prevention of cybercrime, infrastructure issues, mapping of dark spots and crime-prone areas and involvement of educational institutions, among others. Various steps towards women safety were also discussed, including the 'Himmat' app, 'shishtachar' programme of Delhi Police; 'Hawkeye' mobile app and 'Bharosa' programme of Hyderabad Police; 'Suraksha' app of Bengaluru Police and Power Angels of UP police. Initiatives taken up by other cities comprised of mobile counseling vans for listening to complaints, installing additional lights in remote areas - mostly railway stations - adding complaint boxed where women could write anonymously and submit, various awareness programmes and conferences organized by the police as well as building shelter for women. Moreover, steps for comprehensive use of social media for women's safety and means to reduce response time were discussed. Other than that, adding additional CCTV and creating integrated command and control centers which will be under constant monitoring was also discussed. This integration should be in a time-bound and phased manner, Gauba said. The plan of action will be constructed by the police and municipal corporations of the eight cities and forwarded by the subsequent state-level committee headed by the chief secretary of the state. The plan of action is to be submitted by these cities within a month and will be assessed by the Steering Committee headed by the Union Home Secretary, which will make suitable recommendations. (With inputs from PTI)

Government proposes 'safe city' plan for women

<p>As the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-backstreet-boys-nick-carter-accused-of-raping-former-teen-pop-star-melissa-schuman-24830"> Carter-Schuman assault conspiracy</a>&nbsp;continues, the Backstreet Boys singer has now denied the allegations made by &#39;Dream&#39; singer Mellisa Schuman, on Wednesday, media reports said.</p>

<p>Nick Carter told<em> US Weekly</em>, on Wednesday, that he is &quot;shocked and saddened&quot;&nbsp;by Schuman&#39;s accusations and that she had never told him about anything that was &quot;not consensual&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He added&nbsp;that they had recorded&nbsp;a song together and even performed on stage, and claimed that he was always respectful and supportive of Melissa, &quot;personally and professionally&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He further said: &quot;This is the first that I am hearing about these accusations, nearly two decades later. It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm.&rdquo; reported <em>US Weekly</em>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The teen star who became&nbsp;famous for her song &quot;Dream&quot; alleged in a blog post that Carter raped her in 2004 when both were cast members in a made-for-TV movie &quot;The Hollow&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to reports, Schuman wanted to press charges against Carter, however, she was informed that Carter the most &quot;powerful litigator in the country&quot;,&nbsp;reports said</p>

<p>Carter&#39;s ex-girlfriend, former Pussycat Doll Kaya Jones, took to Twitter after the accusations against the singer and said:&nbsp;&ldquo;Nick Carter was my boyfriend while I was in the Pussycat Dolls,&rdquo; she tweeted. &ldquo;He knew about the abuse I endured and did nothing. I guess I now know why. Disgusting. Disgraceful. Disgusted in my heart. Especially because he was a victim of abuse himself. Shame on you Nick!&rdquo;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nick Carter was my boyfriend while I was in the Pussycat Dolls. He knew about the abuse I endured and did nothing. I guess I now know why. Disgusting. Disgraceful. Disgusted in my heart. Especially because he was a victim of abuse himself. Shame on you Nick!</p>
&mdash; KAYA (@KayaJones) <a href="https://twitter.com/KayaJones/status/933367321623650304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>She raged on Twitter saying: &quot;Nick you have 1 shot to get it right. You can disregard the girls that aren&rsquo;t on your level even after you abused them. Come Square up with me the girl that was with you for 2 years that knows all your secrets. Let&rsquo;s go!&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nick you have 1 shot to get it right. You can disregard the girls that aren&rsquo;t on your level even after you abused them. Come Square up with me the girl that was with you for 2 years that knows all your secrets. Let&rsquo;s go!</p>
&mdash; KAYA (@KayaJones) <a href="https://twitter.com/KayaJones/status/933431437272932352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Schuman has since expressed her regard for the support she received&nbsp;since talking&nbsp;about the alleged incident.</p>

<p>&ldquo;I just want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support,&rdquo; she tweeted on Monday.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Thank you for bearing witness to my story. Thank you for providing me a safe place to be open and vulnerable. I love you all. Thank you for aiding me in the healing that I so desperately needed. I am free now,&rdquo; she said.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I just want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support. Thank you for bearing witness to my story. Thank you for providing me a safe place to be open and vulnerable. I love you all. Thank you for aiding me in the healing that I so desperately needed. I am free now.</p>
&mdash; MelissaSchuman (@MelissaSchuman) <a href="https://twitter.com/MelissaSchuman/status/932862209687826432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Nick Carter told US Weekly that Schuman had never told him about anything that was "not consensual".

As the Carter-Schuman assault conspiracy continues, the Backstreet Boys singer has now denied the allegations made by 'Dream' singer Mellisa Schuman, on Wednesday, media reports said. Nick Carter told US Weekly, on Wednesday, that he is "shocked and saddened" by Schuman's accusations and that she had never told him about anything that was "not consensual". He added that they had recorded a song together and even performed on stage, and claimed that he was always respectful and supportive of Melissa, "personally and professionally". He further said: "This is the first that I am hearing about these accusations, nearly two decades later. It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm.” reported US Weekly. The teen star who became famous for her song "Dream" alleged in a blog post that Carter raped her in 2004 when both were cast members in a made-for-TV movie "The Hollow". According to reports, Schuman wanted to press charges against Carter, however, she was informed that Carter the most "powerful litigator in the country", reports said Carter's ex-girlfriend, former Pussycat Doll Kaya Jones, took to Twitter after the accusations against the singer and said: “Nick Carter was my boyfriend while I was in the Pussycat Dolls,” she tweeted. “He knew about the abuse I endured and did nothing. I guess I now know why. Disgusting. Disgraceful. Disgusted in my heart. Especially because he was a victim of abuse himself. Shame on you Nick!” Nick Carter was my boyfriend while I was in the Pussycat Dolls. He knew about the abuse I endured and did nothing. I guess I now know why. Disgusting. Disgraceful. Disgusted in my heart. Especially because he was a victim of abuse himself. Shame on you Nick! — KAYA (@KayaJones) November 22, 2017 × She raged on Twitter saying: "Nick you have 1 shot to get it right. You can disregard the girls that aren’t on your level even after you abused them. Come Square up with me the girl that was with you for 2 years that knows all your secrets. Let’s go!" Nick you have 1 shot to get it right. You can disregard the girls that aren’t on your level even after you abused them. Come Square up with me the girl that was with you for 2 years that knows all your secrets. Let’s go! — KAYA (@KayaJones) November 22, 2017 × Schuman has since expressed her regard for the support she received since talking about the alleged incident. “I just want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support,” she tweeted on Monday. “Thank you for bearing witness to my story. Thank you for providing me a safe place to be open and vulnerable. I love you all. Thank you for aiding me in the healing that I so desperately needed. I am free now,” she said. I just want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support. Thank you for bearing witness to my story. Thank you for providing me a safe place to be open and vulnerable. I love you all. Thank you for aiding me in the healing that I so desperately needed. I am free now. — MelissaSchuman (@MelissaSchuman) November 21, 2017 ×

After Schuman's allegations, Pussycat Doll Kaya Jones slams Nick Carter over rape allegations

<p style="text-align: justify;">An unidentified actress has filed a suit against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, alleging he raped her in his room at a Beverly Hills hotel last year, entertainment publication Variety reported Tuesday.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">The actress, identified in the suit only as &quot;Jane Doe,&quot; is the latest of more than 100 women who have come forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct, ranging from harassment to rape.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Variety said Weinstein&#39;s representatives denied the latest allegations, as with all the other accusations he has faced in recent weeks, saying the producer &quot;believes all of these relationships were consensual.&quot;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">In the suit, filed against both Weinstein and the Weinstein Company, the woman says she met the now infamous film mogul at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills in late 2015 to discuss being cast in the Netflix series &quot;Marco Polo,&quot; according to Variety.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Once there, however, Weinstein told the woman he wanted to masturbate in front of her and when she said &quot;no&quot; he proceeded to grasp her wrist with one hand and masturbate with the other, the suit alleges.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">In the spring of the following year, Weinstein is alleged to have contacted her again as if nothing had happened, giving her the impression she had been cast in &quot;Marco Polo.&quot;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">He invited her to meet him again at the Montage Hotel to celebrate and she agreed, according to the woman&#39;s account.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">During the meeting, he excused himself and returned in a bathrobe, but when she said she didn&#39;t want to do anything sexual, he dragged her into the bedroom where he used his &quot;massive strength and weight to force himself on her,&quot; the suit alleges.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">The woman said she fled the room as soon as she could break free.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">The actress, who is represented by attorney Gloria Allred, is seeking compensation and damages, claiming sexual battery, assault, and negligence, according to Variety.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The actress is identified in the suit only as 'Jane Doe'

An unidentified actress has filed a suit against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, alleging he raped her in his room at a Beverly Hills hotel last year, entertainment publication Variety reported Tuesday. The actress, identified in the suit only as "Jane Doe," is the latest of more than 100 women who have come forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct, ranging from harassment to rape. Variety said Weinstein's representatives denied the latest allegations, as with all the other accusations he has faced in recent weeks, saying the producer "believes all of these relationships were consensual." In the suit, filed against both Weinstein and the Weinstein Company, the woman says she met the now infamous film mogul at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills in late 2015 to discuss being cast in the Netflix series "Marco Polo," according to Variety. Once there, however, Weinstein told the woman he wanted to masturbate in front of her and when she said "no" he proceeded to grasp her wrist with one hand and masturbate with the other, the suit alleges. In the spring of the following year, Weinstein is alleged to have contacted her again as if nothing had happened, giving her the impression she had been cast in "Marco Polo." He invited her to meet him again at the Montage Hotel to celebrate and she agreed, according to the woman's account. During the meeting, he excused himself and returned in a bathrobe, but when she said she didn't want to do anything sexual, he dragged her into the bedroom where he used his "massive strength and weight to force himself on her," the suit alleges. The woman said she fled the room as soon as she could break free. The actress, who is represented by attorney Gloria Allred, is seeking compensation and damages, claiming sexual battery, assault, and negligence, according to Variety.

Actress files suit alleging Weinstein raped her

<p>After two sexual assault claims against Hollywood star Ed Westwick surfaced, BBC has decided put the release of an upcoming Agatha Christie adaptation &#39;Ordeal by Innocence&#39; starring the actor, on hold.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The British actor, famously known for his role in the TV series &#39;Gossip Girl&#39; has also decided to take a break from the &#39;White Gold&#39; series - aired on BBC in the UK as well as on Netflix - mentioned the network in a statement.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Westwick&nbsp;on Friday claimed that allegations were&nbsp;&#39;unverified&#39; and &#39;untrue&#39; and added that the &#39;authorities would clear his name as soon as possible&#39;.&nbsp;</p>

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&mdash; Ed Westwick (@EdWestwick) <a href="https://twitter.com/EdWestwick/status/928682058687291398?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>A BBC spokesperson said: &quot;These are serious allegations which Ed Westwick has strenuously denied.</p>

<p>&quot;The BBC is not making any judgment but until these matters are resolved we will not include Ordeal by Innocence in the schedules.</p>

<p>&quot;The independent production company making White Gold has informed us that Ed Westwick has paused from filming while he deals with these allegations.&quot;</p>

<p>Gossip Girl actor Ed Westwick has been accused of rape by fellow actor Kristina Cohen at his apartment three years ago. Cohen claimed in a Facebook post that she was briefly dating a producer who was friends with Westwick. In the post, she said that after the trio had dinner she fell asleep in his guest bedroom and later&nbsp;found the actor on top of her.</p>

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Westwick also took a break from the BBC series ?White Gold?.

After two sexual assault claims against Hollywood star Ed Westwick surfaced, BBC has decided put the release of an upcoming Agatha Christie adaptation 'Ordeal by Innocence' starring the actor, on hold. The British actor, famously known for his role in the TV series 'Gossip Girl' has also decided to take a break from the 'White Gold' series - aired on BBC in the UK as well as on Netflix - mentioned the network in a statement. Westwick on Friday claimed that allegations were 'unverified' and 'untrue' and added that the 'authorities would clear his name as soon as possible'. pic.twitter.com/n2gIWP582P — Ed Westwick (@EdWestwick) November 9, 2017 × A BBC spokesperson said: "These are serious allegations which Ed Westwick has strenuously denied. "The BBC is not making any judgment but until these matters are resolved we will not include Ordeal by Innocence in the schedules. "The independent production company making White Gold has informed us that Ed Westwick has paused from filming while he deals with these allegations." Gossip Girl actor Ed Westwick has been accused of rape by fellow actor Kristina Cohen at his apartment three years ago. Cohen claimed in a Facebook post that she was briefly dating a producer who was friends with Westwick. In the post, she said that after the trio had dinner she fell asleep in his guest bedroom and later found the actor on top of her.

BBC suspends drama starring Ed Westwick post rape allegations

<p>Harvey Weinstein hired journalists and highly trained ex-spies and military personnel who used fake identities to try to stop accusers from going public with sexual misconduct claims against him, The New Yorker reported Monday.<br />
<br />
The news came as the Television Academy, which hands out Emmy Awards, was said to have expelled Weinstein &quot;for life,&quot; following a similar move by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which gives out the Oscars.<br />
<br />
Among the private security agencies hired by Weinstein starting around fall 2016, the magazine said, was Black Cube, which is largely run by former officers of Israeli intelligence agencies, including Mossad. Another was corporate intelligence giant Kroll.<br />
<br />
Two Black Cube private eyes met with actress Rose McGowan -- before she publicly accused Weinstein of raping her -- to obtain information.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
One of the investigators secretly recorded at least four meetings with McGowan while pretending to be a women`s rights advocates, said the magazine, citing dozens of pages of documents and seven people directly involved in Weinstein`s efforts.<br />
<br />
The spy used a different fake identity to meet with a journalist while claiming to have an accusation against Weinstein, in order to learn which women were talking to the media.<br />
Weinstein and the private eyes also used journalists themselves to extract details from women who were making claims against Weinstein.<br />
<br />
During his yearlong effort, Weinstein and his team would collect information on dozens of people, compiling psychological profiles with their personal or sexual histories in order to contradict, discredit or intimidate his targets.<br />
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The New Yorker said Weinstein sought the assistance of ex-employees from his movie enterprises to help in his efforts collecting names and placing calls.<br />
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Investigations also sometimes went through Weinstein`s lawyers, according to the magazine. Among them was David Boies, who represented Al Gore in his 2000 presidential election dispute with George W. Bush.&nbsp;<br />
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The New Yorker said Boies himself had signed a contract demanding that Black Cube seek to uncover information to stop the publication of a New York Times story about Weinstein`s sexual abuse at the same time his firm was also representing the Times in a libel case.<br />
<br />
Boies told the magazine &quot;it was a mistake&quot; to have been involved with the investigators.</p>

<p>Weinstein`s spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister dismissed the report, saying: &quot;It is a fiction to suggest that any individuals were targeted or suppressed at any time.&quot;<br />
<br />
Neither Hofmeister nor Boies immediately responded to requests for comment.Police launched investigations in London, Los Angeles and New York after around 100 women accused Weinstein, once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to rape.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, industry publication Variety said the Television Academy has voted to permanently expel Weinstein.<br />
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&quot;The Academy supports those speaking out against harassment in all forms and stands behind those who have been affected by this issue,&quot; it told Variety, adding that it was reviewing the organization`s code of conduct.<br />
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&quot;The unfolding and widespread examples of this horrific behaviour are deeply disturbing to the Academy`s leadership.<br />
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&quot;We are determined to play a role in protecting all television professionals from predatory harassment, ensuring they are able to practice their craft in a safe environment.&quot;</p>


Harvey Weinstein hired journalists and highly trained ex-spies and military personnel who used fake identities to try to stop accusers from going public with sexual misconduct claims against him.

Harvey Weinstein hired journalists and highly trained ex-spies and military personnel who used fake identities to try to stop accusers from going public with sexual misconduct claims against him, The New Yorker reported Monday. The news came as the Television Academy, which hands out Emmy Awards, was said to have expelled Weinstein "for life," following a similar move by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which gives out the Oscars. Among the private security agencies hired by Weinstein starting around fall 2016, the magazine said, was Black Cube, which is largely run by former officers of Israeli intelligence agencies, including Mossad. Another was corporate intelligence giant Kroll. Two Black Cube private eyes met with actress Rose McGowan -- before she publicly accused Weinstein of raping her -- to obtain information. One of the investigators secretly recorded at least four meetings with McGowan while pretending to be a women`s rights advocates, said the magazine, citing dozens of pages of documents and seven people directly involved in Weinstein`s efforts. The spy used a different fake identity to meet with a journalist while claiming to have an accusation against Weinstein, in order to learn which women were talking to the media. Weinstein and the private eyes also used journalists themselves to extract details from women who were making claims against Weinstein. During his yearlong effort, Weinstein and his team would collect information on dozens of people, compiling psychological profiles with their personal or sexual histories in order to contradict, discredit or intimidate his targets. The New Yorker said Weinstein sought the assistance of ex-employees from his movie enterprises to help in his efforts collecting names and placing calls. Investigations also sometimes went through Weinstein`s lawyers, according to the magazine. Among them was David Boies, who represented Al Gore in his 2000 presidential election dispute with George W. Bush. The New Yorker said Boies himself had signed a contract demanding that Black Cube seek to uncover information to stop the publication of a New York Times story about Weinstein`s sexual abuse at the same time his firm was also representing the Times in a libel case. Boies told the magazine "it was a mistake" to have been involved with the investigators. Weinstein`s spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister dismissed the report, saying: "It is a fiction to suggest that any individuals were targeted or suppressed at any time." Neither Hofmeister nor Boies immediately responded to requests for comment.Police launched investigations in London, Los Angeles and New York after around 100 women accused Weinstein, once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to rape. Meanwhile, industry publication Variety said the Television Academy has voted to permanently expel Weinstein. "The Academy supports those speaking out against harassment in all forms and stands behind those who have been affected by this issue," it told Variety, adding that it was reviewing the organization`s code of conduct. "The unfolding and widespread examples of this horrific behaviour are deeply disturbing to the Academy`s leadership. "We are determined to play a role in protecting all television professionals from predatory harassment, ensuring they are able to practice their craft in a safe environment."

Harvey Weinstein had 'army of spies' to thwart complaints

<p>An Egyptian lawmaker created a storm on social media after declaring&nbsp;that its a &quot;national duty&quot;&nbsp;to rape women &quot;who wear ripped jeans&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Lawyer Nabih al-Wahsh created a major controversy when&nbsp;he mentioned that women who&nbsp;wear revealing clothes in public &quot;invite&quot;&nbsp;men to harass them.&nbsp;</p>

<p>al-Wahsh appeared on TV the talk show called &#39;Infrad&#39;&nbsp;on satellite channel Al-Assema where he made the derogatory comment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Are you happy when you see a girl walking down the street with half of her behind showing?&quot; Al-Wahsh, a prominent conservative said.</p>

<p>&ldquo;I say that when a girl walks about like that, it is a patriotic duty to sexually harass her and a national duty to rape her,&rdquo; he said, answering his own question.</p>

<p>The comment created a furore&nbsp;on social media in Egypt with several feminists slamming the lawyer&#39;s comment.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">According to Nabih al-Wahsh, a sick egyptian conservative, it is the national duty to rape women who wear ripped jeans... (1)</p>
&mdash; Hobbit of Hogwarts?? (@magical_hobbit) <a href="https://twitter.com/magical_hobbit/status/925989327875858432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Keep Nabih Al-Wahsh away from all women.</p>
&mdash; Moeez Siddiqui (@messofanego) <a href="https://twitter.com/messofanego/status/926022243066503168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nabih al-Wahsh<br />
please never apply for a visa thankyou</p>
&mdash; Robert Hawkins (@hawkinsdotbiz) <a href="https://twitter.com/hawkinsdotbiz/status/925841849843109889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">1 of a million reasons of why I am afraid to go back to Egypt: walking in the street with a ripped jeans! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HighLevelAnxiety?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HighLevelAnxiety</a> <a href="https://t.co/CR8JDiBfAc">https://t.co/CR8JDiBfAc</a></p>
&mdash; Wafaa Heikal (@WafHeikal) <a href="https://twitter.com/WafHeikal/status/925131973051351040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Egypt&rsquo;s National Council for Women has&nbsp;decided to file a&nbsp;complaint against al-Wahsh and the TV channel.&nbsp;</p>

<p>al-Wahsh had made a statement proclaiming that he made the comment in order for more stringent punishments for sexual harassment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said, &quot;Girls must respect themselves so others respect them. Protecting morals is more important than protecting borders.&quot;</p>

<p>During a debate in 2015, al-Wahsh had commented on&nbsp;how women should not be permitted to serve as judges, which also sparked a major controversy.&nbsp;</p>


al-Wahsh appeared on TV the talk show called 'Infrad'?on satellite channel Al-Assema where he made the derogatory comment

An Egyptian lawmaker created a storm on social media after declaring that its a "national duty" to rape women "who wear ripped jeans". Lawyer Nabih al-Wahsh created a major controversy when he mentioned that women who wear revealing clothes in public "invite" men to harass them. al-Wahsh appeared on TV the talk show called 'Infrad' on satellite channel Al-Assema where he made the derogatory comment. "Are you happy when you see a girl walking down the street with half of her behind showing?" Al-Wahsh, a prominent conservative said. “I say that when a girl walks about like that, it is a patriotic duty to sexually harass her and a national duty to rape her,” he said, answering his own question. The comment created a furore on social media in Egypt with several feminists slamming the lawyer's comment. According to Nabih al-Wahsh, a sick egyptian conservative, it is the national duty to rape women who wear ripped jeans... (1) — Hobbit of Hogwarts?? (@magical_hobbit) November 2, 2017 × Keep Nabih Al-Wahsh away from all women. — Moeez Siddiqui (@messofanego) November 2, 2017 × Nabih al-Wahsh please never apply for a visa thankyou — Robert Hawkins (@hawkinsdotbiz) November 1, 2017 × 1 of a million reasons of why I am afraid to go back to Egypt: walking in the street with a ripped jeans! #HighLevelAnxiety https://t.co/CR8JDiBfAc — Wafaa Heikal (@WafHeikal) October 30, 2017 × Egypt’s National Council for Women has decided to file a complaint against al-Wahsh and the TV channel. al-Wahsh had made a statement proclaiming that he made the comment in order for more stringent punishments for sexual harassment. He said, "Girls must respect themselves so others respect them. Protecting morals is more important than protecting borders." During a debate in 2015, al-Wahsh had commented on how women should not be permitted to serve as judges, which also sparked a major controversy.

'National duty' to rape women who wear ripped jeans: Egyptian lawmaker

<p>The &ldquo;#metoo&rdquo; campaign is the voice of the people who are rightly exasperated by the culture of sexual aggression and the surrounding shame. Indeed, removing the culture of shame and its predecessor, silence, is the first step towards dismantling the arsenal of the aggressor, who goes by many names, &ldquo;rapist&rdquo; and &ldquo;sexual predator&rdquo; being two of them.</p>

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<h5>A woman on facebook as part of the naming and shaming process of the &ldquo;metoo&rdquo; campaign, has raised serious ethical and legal dilemmas.</h5>
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<p>By facilitating a safe space to vent and express, the campaign has also assumed a therapeutic purpose. However, the listing of important names in academia as aggressors by a woman on Facebook, as part of the naming and shaming process of the &ldquo;metoo&rdquo; campaign, has raised serious ethical and legal dilemmas. While there are no easy answers to these questions, I also fear the impact of this debate on the credibility and overall efficacy of the victim&rsquo;s rights movement in India.</p>

<p>I proceed on the premise that sexual violence can be seen from three perspectives, one as an experience of the victim, two as a definition under the law and three as a convergence of one and two. Sexual violence is an experience, but the terms &ldquo;rape&rdquo;, &ldquo;stalking&rdquo;, &ldquo;voyeurism&rdquo; and &ldquo;sexual harassment&rdquo; are legal concepts. Sometimes the sense of victimisation is also perceived and defined by law, in which case sexual aggression qualifies as &ldquo;rape&rdquo;, &ldquo;sexual harassment&rdquo;, &ldquo;voyeurism&rdquo;, &ldquo;stalking&rdquo;, etc.</p>

<p>You see, if an experience qualifies as a legal definition of sexual aggression, the offender cannot get away with a simple apology, no matter how sincere or well-intentioned. Similarly, the complainant, where a legal offence of sexual aggression is alleged, is bound by rules of evidence. The law attempts to strike a balance when sexual aggression qualifies as a crime viz., the severity of consequences for the offender, but tempered by the burden of proof to establish accountability.</p>

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<h5>As an experience of the victim, sexual violence is far more pervasive and diverse, than the law can foresee, perceive and define.</h5>
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<p>In other words, guilt beyond reasonable doubt. An objective act of sexual aggression beyond excuse or reproach. In recent times, many big persons were named in social media posts as having indulged in sexual harassment. However, we did not see punishment for any of them with the exception of Harvey Weinstein who got fired from his own company. Mr Weinstein remains perhaps the sole exception to the &quot;no consequences for sexual predators through social media posts&quot; rule.</p>

<p>As an experience of the victim, sexual violence is far more pervasive and diverse, than the law can foresee, perceive and define. This diversity stems from the inherently subjective nature of negotiating consent for a sexual relationship. To cite an example, western media content taught us that men go to bars to find single women. A man would then ask the woman out for a drink or a cup of coffee and if successful, commences on the process of dating. However, despite my best intentions, a similar attempt to &quot;ask out&quot; a woman in India may very well constitute sexual aggression, considering the diversity of cultural contexts in gender relations.</p>

<p>The defence of the man to such an accusation would be, &quot;I asked her out. She could have said no and I would have backed out&quot;. I have asked out women, I have been rejected and I have backed out. But does that then mean that asking out the woman itself is sexual aggression? I have avoided committing the criminal offence of &quot;sexual harassment&quot; because on being made aware of the woman&rsquo;s lack of interest and lack of consent to the continued conversation, I backed out.</p>

<p>But the fact remains that any girl who felt intimidated by the actions of a stranger wanting to have a conversation over a cup of coffee has still experienced sexual aggression even if in the eyes of society or law or the man- it is not such an act. This insensitivity to the experience of women lies at the heart of the &quot;metoo&quot; campaign. For too long, formal rules of procedure, inherent challenges of evidence and inexcusable conviction rates, have eroded the trust of women in the legal concepts around sexual aggression and the justice system&rsquo;s ability to help them address sexual aggression.</p>

<p>But my experience of assisting the prosecution of sexual assault cases or training internal complaints committees to adjudicate complaints of sexual harassment has also opened my eyes to the inherent limitations of the law when it comes to addressing very diverse experience around sexual victimisation.</p>

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<h5>Our system of laws is guilty of not being nuanced enough to recognise the different versions of sexual aggression and address them with punishments that could range from a simple acknowledgement of your experience to life imprisonment, depending upon the nature of aggression.</h5>
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<p>Sexual aggression as an experience suffers from the same difficulty that sexuality suffers from, it is subjective and ranges from person to person. But the law attempts to standardise a form of victimisation that is fundamentally unique to each individual. Therefore, legal definitions of sexual aggression as &ldquo;rape&rdquo; or &ldquo;sexual harassment&rdquo; will always stop short of addressing sexual aggression as an experience.</p>

<p>So, to all the women out there, let me say this, simply because what you experienced may not lead to a conviction or doesn&rsquo;t qualify as a crime, doesn&rsquo;t undermine your experience nor does it mean that the wrongdoer was not the wrongdoer. It simply means our system of laws is guilty of not being nuanced enough to recognise the different versions of sexual aggression and address them with punishments that could range from a simple acknowledgement of your experience to life imprisonment, depending upon the nature of aggression. But it does mean that when your victimisation doesn&rsquo;t fit into the several definitions of sexual aggression such as &ldquo;rape&rdquo; or &ldquo;sexual harassment&rdquo;, your remedy doesn&rsquo;t exist in the law.</p>

<p>The authors of the list containing the academics&rsquo; names could argue that because conventional legal systems are likely to fail them on account of inherent evidentiary challenges, late reporting, and the shallow attempts of law to define diverse forms of sexual aggression, this was their only means of venting. But is naming a perpetrator of something that may not be a crime, simply to vent, justified?</p>

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<h5>The rule of law protects the bodily integrity and autonomy of every individual, man or woman, no doubt. But it also protects people, men and women, from having their reputations tarnished publicly through libel and slander laws.</h5>
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<p>But where does a legitimate cry for justice, stop being that, and becomes instead a feminist version of the Spanish Inquisition? The rule of law protects the bodily integrity and autonomy of every individual, man or woman, no doubt. But it also protects people, men and women, from having their reputations tarnished publicly through libel and slander laws. When does a social media post about sexual aggression stop being a complaint and becomes libel instead? And how can we balance the right to reputation with the right to justice for violation of bodily autonomy and integrity?</p>

<p>Social media trials operate on the premise that there is no need to balance the right to reputation with the right to justice for violation of bodily autonomy and integrity. It does away the need to determine not just the wrong, but the full extent of the wrong, so as to determine what is a proportional punishment. The prior discussion around the differences between the sociological/psychological understanding of sexual aggression and its legal understanding was to highlight the dangers of social media trials of sexual aggression cases.</p>

<p>How do we determine based on a single Facebook post the true extent of victimisation and sexual aggression? Because that determination is possible only through a nuanced inquiry which none of us can hope to initiate. That inquiry may either reveal a crime or sexual victimisation not constituting a crime. Based on that, we can judge.</p>

<p>However, without a complete and thorough understanding of the victimisation or sexual aggression involved, how do we determine, if the academics named on the list qualified for being defamed online? Social media trials often only satisfy voyeuristic curiosity, but seldom fail to bring about justice. We are all vulnerable to amnesia and even the most serious sexual predator out there knows that if he lies low long enough, we will convince ourselves that he doesn&rsquo;t exist.</p>

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<h5>Justice is the product of a legal system and not just a lynch mob, no matter how just the mob&rsquo;s cause may be.</h5>
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<p>So, how should the academics respond? Defamation suit could be tempting, but no woman deserves to be sued for making a complaint, no matter how unsustainable. Rather, the academics in the list, many of whom are feminists have a golden opportunity. Let them write to the jurisdictional Internal Complaints Committees asking for the complaints to be probed, impartially and dispassionately.</p>

<p>Such an initiative on their part would demonstrate that their claims of innocence are premised on confidence and not on our propensity for amnesia. It would also be a telling endorsement of the rule of law and provoke our legal system to action. And either way, there will be closure at the end of the inquiry. After all, justice is the product of a legal system and not just a lynch mob, no matter how just the mob&rsquo;s cause may be.</p>


Me too campaign has raised voyeuristic curiosity on social media but the intervention of judiciary would help in bringing about justice

The “#metoo” campaign is the voice of the people who are rightly exasperated by the culture of sexual aggression and the surrounding shame. Indeed, removing the culture of shame and its predecessor, silence, is the first step towards dismantling the arsenal of the aggressor, who goes by many names, “rapist” and “sexual predator” being two of them. A woman on facebook as part of the naming and shaming process of the “metoo” campaign, has raised serious ethical and legal dilemmas. × By facilitating a safe space to vent and express, the campaign has also assumed a therapeutic purpose. However, the listing of important names in academia as aggressors by a woman on Facebook, as part of the naming and shaming process of the “metoo” campaign, has raised serious ethical and legal dilemmas. While there are no easy answers to these questions, I also fear the impact of this debate on the credibility and overall efficacy of the victim’s rights movement in India. I proceed on the premise that sexual violence can be seen from three perspectives, one as an experience of the victim, two as a definition under the law and three as a convergence of one and two. Sexual violence is an experience, but the terms “rape”, “stalking”, “voyeurism” and “sexual harassment” are legal concepts. Sometimes the sense of victimisation is also perceived and defined by law, in which case sexual aggression qualifies as “rape”, “sexual harassment”, “voyeurism”, “stalking”, etc. You see, if an experience qualifies as a legal definition of sexual aggression, the offender cannot get away with a simple apology, no matter how sincere or well-intentioned. Similarly, the complainant, where a legal offence of sexual aggression is alleged, is bound by rules of evidence. The law attempts to strike a balance when sexual aggression qualifies as a crime viz., the severity of consequences for the offender, but tempered by the burden of proof to establish accountability. As an experience of the victim, sexual violence is far more pervasive and diverse, than the law can foresee, perceive and define. × In other words, guilt beyond reasonable doubt. An objective act of sexual aggression beyond excuse or reproach. In recent times, many big persons were named in social media posts as having indulged in sexual harassment. However, we did not see punishment for any of them with the exception of Harvey Weinstein who got fired from his own company. Mr Weinstein remains perhaps the sole exception to the "no consequences for sexual predators through social media posts" rule. As an experience of the victim, sexual violence is far more pervasive and diverse, than the law can foresee, perceive and define. This diversity stems from the inherently subjective nature of negotiating consent for a sexual relationship. To cite an example, western media content taught us that men go to bars to find single women. A man would then ask the woman out for a drink or a cup of coffee and if successful, commences on the process of dating. However, despite my best intentions, a similar attempt to "ask out" a woman in India may very well constitute sexual aggression, considering the diversity of cultural contexts in gender relations. The defence of the man to such an accusation would be, "I asked her out. She could have said no and I would have backed out". I have asked out women, I have been rejected and I have backed out. But does that then mean that asking out the woman itself is sexual aggression? I have avoided committing the criminal offence of "sexual harassment" because on being made aware of the woman’s lack of interest and lack of consent to the continued conversation, I backed out. But the fact remains that any girl who felt intimidated by the actions of a stranger wanting to have a conversation over a cup of coffee has still experienced sexual aggression even if in the eyes of society or law or the man- it is not such an act. This insensitivity to the experience of women lies at the heart of the "metoo" campaign. For too long, formal rules of procedure, inherent challenges of evidence and inexcusable conviction rates, have eroded the trust of women in the legal concepts around sexual aggression and the justice system’s ability to help them address sexual aggression. But my experience of assisting the prosecution of sexual assault cases or training internal complaints committees to adjudicate complaints of sexual harassment has also opened my eyes to the inherent limitations of the law when it comes to addressing very diverse experience around sexual victimisation. Our system of laws is guilty of not being nuanced enough to recognise the different versions of sexual aggression and address them with punishments that could range from a simple acknowledgement of your experience to life imprisonment, depending upon the nature of aggression. × Sexual aggression as an experience suffers from the same difficulty that sexuality suffers from, it is subjective and ranges from person to person. But the law attempts to standardise a form of victimisation that is fundamentally unique to each individual. Therefore, legal definitions of sexual aggression as “rape” or “sexual harassment” will always stop short of addressing sexual aggression as an experience. So, to all the women out there, let me say this, simply because what you experienced may not lead to a conviction or doesn’t qualify as a crime, doesn’t undermine your experience nor does it mean that the wrongdoer was not the wrongdoer. It simply means our system of laws is guilty of not being nuanced enough to recognise the different versions of sexual aggression and address them with punishments that could range from a simple acknowledgement of your experience to life imprisonment, depending upon the nature of aggression. But it does mean that when your victimisation doesn’t fit into the several definitions of sexual aggression such as “rape” or “sexual harassment”, your remedy doesn’t exist in the law. The authors of the list containing the academics’ names could argue that because conventional legal systems are likely to fail them on account of inherent evidentiary challenges, late reporting, and the shallow attempts of law to define diverse forms of sexual aggression, this was their only means of venting. But is naming a perpetrator of something that may not be a crime, simply to vent, justified? The rule of law protects the bodily integrity and autonomy of every individual, man or woman, no doubt. But it also protects people, men and women, from having their reputations tarnished publicly through libel and slander laws. × But where does a legitimate cry for justice, stop being that, and becomes instead a feminist version of the Spanish Inquisition? The rule of law protects the bodily integrity and autonomy of every individual, man or woman, no doubt. But it also protects people, men and women, from having their reputations tarnished publicly through libel and slander laws. When does a social media post about sexual aggression stop being a complaint and becomes libel instead? And how can we balance the right to reputation with the right to justice for violation of bodily autonomy and integrity? Social media trials operate on the premise that there is no need to balance the right to reputation with the right to justice for violation of bodily autonomy and integrity. It does away the need to determine not just the wrong, but the full extent of the wrong, so as to determine what is a proportional punishment. The prior discussion around the differences between the sociological/psychological understanding of sexual aggression and its legal understanding was to highlight the dangers of social media trials of sexual aggression cases. How do we determine based on a single Facebook post the true extent of victimisation and sexual aggression? Because that determination is possible only through a nuanced inquiry which none of us can hope to initiate. That inquiry may either reveal a crime or sexual victimisation not constituting a crime. Based on that, we can judge. However, without a complete and thorough understanding of the victimisation or sexual aggression involved, how do we determine, if the academics named on the list qualified for being defamed online? Social media trials often only satisfy voyeuristic curiosity, but seldom fail to bring about justice. We are all vulnerable to amnesia and even the most serious sexual predator out there knows that if he lies low long enough, we will convince ourselves that he doesn’t exist. Justice is the product of a legal system and not just a lynch mob, no matter how just the mob’s cause may be. × So, how should the academics respond? Defamation suit could be tempting, but no woman deserves to be sued for making a complaint, no matter how unsustainable. Rather, the academics in the list, many of whom are feminists have a golden opportunity. Let them write to the jurisdictional Internal Complaints Committees asking for the complaints to be probed, impartially and dispassionately. Such an initiative on their part would demonstrate that their claims of innocence are premised on confidence and not on our propensity for amnesia. It would also be a telling endorsement of the rule of law and provoke our legal system to action. And either way, there will be closure at the end of the inquiry. After all, justice is the product of a legal system and not just a lynch mob, no matter how just the mob’s cause may be.

#Metoo: Will cry for justice turn into mob lynching?

<p>#MeToo has provided a global social platform for women to talk about sexual harassment, abuse and innuendos that every woman, perhaps all over the world, has undergone or felt, outside and sometimes inside home, and has more often than not, quietly accepted, especially in India because it is in our culture not to speak of such matters. And why? Tradition and mythology have idealised the &lsquo;Sati&rsquo;, &lsquo;Savitris&rsquo; of mythology, but in doing so has drawn a &lsquo;lakshmanrekha&rsquo; &ndash; boundaries that may not be crossed by women for fear of becoming tainted and, therefore, rejected.</p>

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<p>Indian mythology is full of tales of women, heroines in their own right and often, symbols of &lsquo;purity&rsquo; as defined by men, who faced abuse, harassment and punishment for acts for which not they, but men, sometimes their own husbands, were responsible. &nbsp;And who wrote these stories of yore? Men, of course.</p>

<p>Take the story of Ahalya, most beautiful of women, wife of Gautama Maharishi, lusted after by Indra, mythical God of lightning, thunder and rain and king of the Devas, the most referred deity in the Rig Veda, who took the form of her husband to make love to her. Gautama cursed her for being wanton and made her into a stone, from which she was released only after the foot of Rama, Purushottama, the highest among men and a Vishnu avatar, touched the stone.</p>

<p>And what of Rama? Sita, his wife, crossed the &lsquo;lakshmanrekha&rsquo; literally, to give alms to Ravana, who lusted after her and also wanted to teach Rama and his brother Lakshmana a lesson for cutting off his sister, Surpanakha&rsquo;s, nose (whose only crime was to be enamoured of Rama, to whom she proposed, and who made fun of her proposal and passed her on to Lakshmana, who also made fun of her and additionally, cut of her nose &ndash; this was also a case of #MeToo!).</p>

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<h5>Men&rsquo;s deceit is part of our mythical lore and this is clear in the case of both Ahalya and Sita.</h5>
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<p>He kidnapped Sita by posing as a hermit seeking alms, refusing to take the offerings unless she came across the drawn boundary. And well-bred Sita could not insult a Brahmin by refusing to do so. Men&rsquo;s deceit is part of our mythical lore and this is clear in the case of both Ahalya and Sita. But Sita remains &lsquo;pure&rsquo; because of Ravana, after all, turns out to be a gentleman who keeps her enclosed in a garden but refuses to take her against her will. But what of Rama, Vishnu&rsquo;s avatar? He wants proof of her fidelity and makes her go through an &lsquo;agnipariksha&rsquo;, literally, a trial by fire, and later, on the basis of doubts expressed by a washerman, a subject of Rama&rsquo;s kingdom who should not be denied in Ram rajya, banishes his pregnant wife, who apparently holds a lesser place in the scheme of statehood.</p>

<p>She gives birth to twins in exile and brings them up as a single mother under the protection of sage Valmiki, who teaches the sons the art of war as well as the fine arts. During Rama&rsquo;s Ashwamedha Yagna, they prove to be able sons of their father by capturing Rama&rsquo;s horse and defeating Rama and his three brothers. Getting to know the true identity of these young boy-warriors, Rama wants them back along with his wife, their mother. But Sita has had enough.</p>

<p>She prays to her earth mother, Bhoomidevi, of whom she was born, to take her back, and the earth opens to swallow Vaidehi, Sita &ndash;&lsquo; MeToo&rsquo; Sita would have said if she could speak. The same is true of Yagnaseni, Draupadi, proud wife of the five Pandavas, dusky beauty, who is pawned by Dharmaputra Yudhisthir in a game of dice with the Kauravas, dragged into court by her brother-in-law Dushyasana, and saved the ultimate shame of total public disrobement by Krishna, who adds yards to her robe, making it never-ending. But did any of the stalwarts of the Mahabharata &ndash; Dronacharya, Bhisma Pitama, Dhritarashtra, let alone her five warrior husbands, protest? No. #MeToo.</p>

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<h5>It is not surprising that &lsquo;chherna&rsquo; or sexual teasing, rape and women silently accepting abuse are engrained into popular films of every language, much appreciated and applauded by the male public.</h5>
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<p>And Krishna, the most revered God of the Hindu pantheon, who kept Draupadi&rsquo;s honour? There are many stories of his mischievous behaviour as a child which we indulgently smile at as part of his &lsquo;lila&rsquo;. Gods can do no wrong. But, has anyone thought about what adverse effect some of these stories may have on the minds of aberrant young males? The &lsquo;vastraharan&rsquo; story is well known &ndash; how Krishna stole the clothes of young &lsquo;gopis&rsquo; who were bathing and made them come out of the water nude, with their hands above their heads (which world over, is a symbol of surrender) before he returned their clothes.</p>

<p>While devotees will call this symbolic of total surrender to the sublime, some may think of it as voyeurism. While many things are symbolic in mythology, why are only women subjected to this test of self-surrender, why not men? It is argued that Krishna is the only man, all others are women, but that is not the way artists depict &#39;vastraharan&#39;.</p>

<p>Given this background of &#39;lakshmanrekhas&#39;, male deception, victimisation of women for no fault of theirs as well indulgence towards what would today be called eve-teasing, it is not surprising that &lsquo;chherna&rsquo; or sexual teasing, rape and women silently accepting abuse are engrained into popular films of every language, much appreciated and applauded by the male public. After all, our mythological lores are full of such incidents, and Krishna&rsquo;s lilas are indulgently smiled at. But does one realise the impact that this kind of popular culture can have on society? It can leave so many women writing #MeToo on their Facebook statuses, without much hope of a change in male behaviour.</p>


Indian mythological lores are full of sexual transgression incidents, and Krishna?s 'lilas' are indulgently smiled at.

#MeToo has provided a global social platform for women to talk about sexual harassment, abuse and innuendos that every woman, perhaps all over the world, has undergone or felt, outside and sometimes inside home, and has more often than not, quietly accepted, especially in India because it is in our culture not to speak of such matters. And why? Tradition and mythology have idealised the ‘Sati’, ‘Savitris’ of mythology, but in doing so has drawn a ‘lakshmanrekha’ – boundaries that may not be crossed by women for fear of becoming tainted and, therefore, rejected. Indian mythology is full of tales of women, who faced abuse, harassment and punishment for acts for which not they but men were responsible. × Indian mythology is full of tales of women, heroines in their own right and often, symbols of ‘purity’ as defined by men, who faced abuse, harassment and punishment for acts for which not they, but men, sometimes their own husbands, were responsible. And who wrote these stories of yore? Men, of course. Take the story of Ahalya, most beautiful of women, wife of Gautama Maharishi, lusted after by Indra, mythical God of lightning, thunder and rain and king of the Devas, the most referred deity in the Rig Veda, who took the form of her husband to make love to her. Gautama cursed her for being wanton and made her into a stone, from which she was released only after the foot of Rama, Purushottama, the highest among men and a Vishnu avatar, touched the stone. And what of Rama? Sita, his wife, crossed the ‘lakshmanrekha’ literally, to give alms to Ravana, who lusted after her and also wanted to teach Rama and his brother Lakshmana a lesson for cutting off his sister, Surpanakha’s, nose (whose only crime was to be enamoured of Rama, to whom she proposed, and who made fun of her proposal and passed her on to Lakshmana, who also made fun of her and additionally, cut of her nose – this was also a case of #MeToo!). Men’s deceit is part of our mythical lore and this is clear in the case of both Ahalya and Sita. × He kidnapped Sita by posing as a hermit seeking alms, refusing to take the offerings unless she came across the drawn boundary. And well-bred Sita could not insult a Brahmin by refusing to do so. Men’s deceit is part of our mythical lore and this is clear in the case of both Ahalya and Sita. But Sita remains ‘pure’ because of Ravana, after all, turns out to be a gentleman who keeps her enclosed in a garden but refuses to take her against her will. But what of Rama, Vishnu’s avatar? He wants proof of her fidelity and makes her go through an ‘agnipariksha’, literally, a trial by fire, and later, on the basis of doubts expressed by a washerman, a subject of Rama’s kingdom who should not be denied in Ram rajya, banishes his pregnant wife, who apparently holds a lesser place in the scheme of statehood. She gives birth to twins in exile and brings them up as a single mother under the protection of sage Valmiki, who teaches the sons the art of war as well as the fine arts. During Rama’s Ashwamedha Yagna, they prove to be able sons of their father by capturing Rama’s horse and defeating Rama and his three brothers. Getting to know the true identity of these young boy-warriors, Rama wants them back along with his wife, their mother. But Sita has had enough. She prays to her earth mother, Bhoomidevi, of whom she was born, to take her back, and the earth opens to swallow Vaidehi, Sita –‘ MeToo’ Sita would have said if she could speak. The same is true of Yagnaseni, Draupadi, proud wife of the five Pandavas, dusky beauty, who is pawned by Dharmaputra Yudhisthir in a game of dice with the Kauravas, dragged into court by her brother-in-law Dushyasana, and saved the ultimate shame of total public disrobement by Krishna, who adds yards to her robe, making it never-ending. But did any of the stalwarts of the Mahabharata – Dronacharya, Bhisma Pitama, Dhritarashtra, let alone her five warrior husbands, protest? No. #MeToo. It is not surprising that ‘chherna’ or sexual teasing, rape and women silently accepting abuse are engrained into popular films of every language, much appreciated and applauded by the male public. × And Krishna, the most revered God of the Hindu pantheon, who kept Draupadi’s honour? There are many stories of his mischievous behaviour as a child which we indulgently smile at as part of his ‘lila’. Gods can do no wrong. But, has anyone thought about what adverse effect some of these stories may have on the minds of aberrant young males? The ‘vastraharan’ story is well known – how Krishna stole the clothes of young ‘gopis’ who were bathing and made them come out of the water nude, with their hands above their heads (which world over, is a symbol of surrender) before he returned their clothes. While devotees will call this symbolic of total surrender to the sublime, some may think of it as voyeurism. While many things are symbolic in mythology, why are only women subjected to this test of self-surrender, why not men? It is argued that Krishna is the only man, all others are women, but that is not the way artists depict 'vastraharan'. Given this background of 'lakshmanrekhas', male deception, victimisation of women for no fault of theirs as well indulgence towards what would today be called eve-teasing, it is not surprising that ‘chherna’ or sexual teasing, rape and women silently accepting abuse are engrained into popular films of every language, much appreciated and applauded by the male public. After all, our mythological lores are full of such incidents, and Krishna’s lilas are indulgently smiled at. But does one realise the impact that this kind of popular culture can have on society? It can leave so many women writing #MeToo on their Facebook statuses, without much hope of a change in male behaviour.

#MeToo, say Sita and Savitri

<p>In a landmark verdict, India&#39;s top court has declared that sex&nbsp;with wife between 15 and 18 years of age will be considered rape and be a punishable offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).<br />
<br />
The Supreme Court of India overturned an exception clause in the rape law that permits sexual intercourse between a man and his wife who is underage&nbsp;but above 15 years of age and said the law was &quot;discriminatory,&nbsp;capricious and arbitrary.&quot;</p>

<p>The bench clarified that it has not dealt with the issue of marital rape as it was not raised before it by the parties.</p>

<p>Expressing concern over the practice of child marriage in the country, a&nbsp;bench comprising Justice Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said&nbsp;social justice laws in the country had not been implemented with the spirit they have been enacted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Justice Gupta, who wrote a separate but concurrent verdict, said the age of marriage was 18 in all laws and the exception clause was &quot;capricious, arbitrary and violates the rights of a girl child&quot;.<br />
<br />
The exception in rape law under the IPC is contrary to the philosophy of other statutes, and violates bodily integrity of girl child, the Supreme Court said.</p>

<p>The apex court said the exception is violative of Article 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution.</p>

<p>It asked the Centre and the states to take proactive steps to prohibit child marriage across the country.</p>

<p>It voiced concern over thousands of minor girls being married in mass wedding ceremonies on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya.</p>

<p>The top court gave its verdict on a petition by an NGO,&nbsp;Independent Thought,&nbsp;challenging the validity of an exception clause (2) in Section 375 of the IPC that states that intercourse or sexual act by a man with his wife, not below 15 years, is not rape.</p>

<p>The petition contended that this created a dichotomy as the age of consent was 18 years and it also defeated the purpose of Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) considers sex with children (those below 18 years of age) as rape.</p>

<p>The&nbsp;bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur had on September 6 had reserved its order in the case.</p>


The top court gave its verdict on a petition challenging the validity of an exception clause in the rape law which permits sexual intercourse between a man and his wife who is not below 15 years.

In a landmark verdict, India's top court has declared that sex with wife between 15 and 18 years of age will be considered rape and be a punishable offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The Supreme Court of India overturned an exception clause in the rape law that permits sexual intercourse between a man and his wife who is underage but above 15 years of age and said the law was "discriminatory, capricious and arbitrary." The bench clarified that it has not dealt with the issue of marital rape as it was not raised before it by the parties. Expressing concern over the practice of child marriage in the country, a bench comprising Justice Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said social justice laws in the country had not been implemented with the spirit they have been enacted. Justice Gupta, who wrote a separate but concurrent verdict, said the age of marriage was 18 in all laws and the exception clause was "capricious, arbitrary and violates the rights of a girl child". The exception in rape law under the IPC is contrary to the philosophy of other statutes, and violates bodily integrity of girl child, the Supreme Court said. The apex court said the exception is violative of Article 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution. It asked the Centre and the states to take proactive steps to prohibit child marriage across the country. It voiced concern over thousands of minor girls being married in mass wedding ceremonies on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya. The top court gave its verdict on a petition by an NGO, Independent Thought, challenging the validity of an exception clause (2) in Section 375 of the IPC that states that intercourse or sexual act by a man with his wife, not below 15 years, is not rape. The petition contended that this created a dichotomy as the age of consent was 18 years and it also defeated the purpose of Prohibition of Child Marriage Act. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) considers sex with children (those below 18 years of age) as rape. The bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur had on September 6 had reserved its order in the case.

Sex with wife under 18 is rape: Supreme Court

<p>A former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) minister has been booked for allegedly repeatedly raping a woman, police said today.</p>

<p>Sucha Singh Langah was booked last night after a woman, a widow, lodged a complaint that the Akali leader had raped her on several occasions since 2009 and had threatened her not to disclose the matter to anybody, they said.</p>

<p>&quot;The victim filed an affidavit and gave a pen drive with a video recording to support her accusation,&quot; SSP Harcharan Singh Bhullar said.</p>

<p>Langah has been booked under Sections 376 (rape), 384 (extortion), 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, he said.</p>


Sucha Singh Langah was booked last night after a woman, a widow, lodged a complaint that the Akali leader had raped her on several occasions since 2009

A former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) minister has been booked for allegedly repeatedly raping a woman, police said today. Sucha Singh Langah was booked last night after a woman, a widow, lodged a complaint that the Akali leader had raped her on several occasions since 2009 and had threatened her not to disclose the matter to anybody, they said. "The victim filed an affidavit and gave a pen drive with a video recording to support her accusation," SSP Harcharan Singh Bhullar said. Langah has been booked under Sections 376 (rape), 384 (extortion), 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, he said.

Former SAD minister booked for rape

<p>For members of Europe&#39;s biggest Rohingya community in Bradford, Northern England, the news from Myanmar brings a mix of anger, fear and haunting memories of dramatic escapes from their homeland.</p>

<p>Some 300 members of the Muslim minority have settled in Bradford in recent years under a refugee programme and they are desperate to draw international attention to the plight of their brethren.</p>

<p>&quot;If I grew up in Myanmar&nbsp;I would be dead today,&quot; said Omme Kulsum Harun, a 17-year-old wrapped in a traditional long white and yellow robe with a thick grey veil covering most of her head of black hair.</p>

<p>Kulsum said she would like to study nursing in order to help fellow Rohingya, hundreds of thousands of whom have fled into Bangladesh in recent weeks following a crackdown by Myanmar&#39;s military.</p>

<p>Harun&#39;s mother Samuda saw her own aunt raped by a soldier when she was a little girl and was told by villagers that her sister suffered the same fate while the family were trying to flee Myanmar.</p>

<p>&quot;Today, I don&#39;t even know if my sister is alive,&quot; the mother of seven told AFP, holding back tears.</p>

<p>&quot;It makes me so sad and angry when I watch the news and see the situation in Myanmar,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>The contrast could not be bigger with her new life.</p>

<p>Harun shows off a picture of her son Ismail Mohamed, a student at Bradford University.</p>

<p>A former wool-making hub, Bradford is one of Britain&#39;s most diverse cities and around a quarter of the population is Muslim, according to the latest census figures.</p>

<p><strong>We won&#39;t give up</strong></p>

<p>In a city where Victorian-era terraced houses stand side by side with mosques and abandoned industrial plants, Nijam Uddin Mohammed said he has found freedom.</p>

<p>The 36-year-old arrived in 2008 after spending more than 18 years in a refugee camp in Bangladesh.</p>

<p>&quot;My life started in Bradford. In the refugee camps back in Bangladesh we couldn&#39;t do what we wanted.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;If we wanted to go for a walk or see some friends in another camp we had to seek permission. It was like a mini-prison. It was not a life.&quot; he said.</p>

<p>During the day, the father of two young children works as an interpreter for the state-run National Health Service and at night he drives a minicab.</p>

<p>He also heads up the Rohingya association of Bradford, which holds meetings at the homes of local Rohingya families every Monday.</p>

<p>At these meetings, the Rohingyas share news about their loved ones and discuss how to put pressure on the British government to become more active.</p>

<p>They have started petitions, held public meetings and sent letters to politicians including Prime Minister Theresa May.</p>

<p>&quot;The (Myanmar) army wants to shut us down but here in Bradford we are free and we are not afraid,&quot; Mohammed said.</p>

<p>&quot;Even if they have never known their homeland, our kids will always raise their voices. We won&#39;t give up.&quot;</p>

<p><strong>Suu Kyi &#39;betrayed us&#39;</strong></p>

<p>Their anger has been stoked further by speeches from the head of Myanmar&#39;s civilian administration, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has refused to condemn the military.</p>

<p>&quot;She betrayed us. We had great expectations but instead of helping us she remained silent.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;She&#39;s doing politics with our lives,&quot; Mohammed said.</p>

<p>Referring to Suu Kyi&#39;s comments about reports of Rohingya suffering as &quot;fake news&quot;, Harun said: &quot;Is it fake news that my sister was raped by the military?&quot;</p>

<p>Mohammed said he welcomed Britain&#39;s decision to suspend military assistance to Myanmar&#39;s army.</p>

<p>But the deputy head of the association, Nur Huda, said it was up to Muslim countries to take the lead and follow the example of Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned &quot;Buddhist terrorism&quot;.</p>

<p>But Mohammed said: &quot;It is not a Muslim issue. We are all human beings who share the same blood and want to live.&quot;</p>


Some 300 members of the Muslim minority have settled in Bradford in recent years under a refugee programme and they are desperate to draw international attention to the plight of their brethren

For members of Europe's biggest Rohingya community in Bradford, Northern England, the news from Myanmar brings a mix of anger, fear and haunting memories of dramatic escapes from their homeland. Some 300 members of the Muslim minority have settled in Bradford in recent years under a refugee programme and they are desperate to draw international attention to the plight of their brethren. "If I grew up in Myanmar I would be dead today," said Omme Kulsum Harun, a 17-year-old wrapped in a traditional long white and yellow robe with a thick grey veil covering most of her head of black hair. Kulsum said she would like to study nursing in order to help fellow Rohingya, hundreds of thousands of whom have fled into Bangladesh in recent weeks following a crackdown by Myanmar's military. Harun's mother Samuda saw her own aunt raped by a soldier when she was a little girl and was told by villagers that her sister suffered the same fate while the family were trying to flee Myanmar. "Today, I don't even know if my sister is alive," the mother of seven told AFP, holding back tears. "It makes me so sad and angry when I watch the news and see the situation in Myanmar," she said. The contrast could not be bigger with her new life. Harun shows off a picture of her son Ismail Mohamed, a student at Bradford University. A former wool-making hub, Bradford is one of Britain's most diverse cities and around a quarter of the population is Muslim, according to the latest census figures. We won't give up In a city where Victorian-era terraced houses stand side by side with mosques and abandoned industrial plants, Nijam Uddin Mohammed said he has found freedom. The 36-year-old arrived in 2008 after spending more than 18 years in a refugee camp in Bangladesh. "My life started in Bradford. In the refugee camps back in Bangladesh we couldn't do what we wanted." "If we wanted to go for a walk or see some friends in another camp we had to seek permission. It was like a mini-prison. It was not a life." he said. During the day, the father of two young children works as an interpreter for the state-run National Health Service and at night he drives a minicab. He also heads up the Rohingya association of Bradford, which holds meetings at the homes of local Rohingya families every Monday. At these meetings, the Rohingyas share news about their loved ones and discuss how to put pressure on the British government to become more active. They have started petitions, held public meetings and sent letters to politicians including Prime Minister Theresa May. "The (Myanmar) army wants to shut us down but here in Bradford we are free and we are not afraid," Mohammed said. "Even if they have never known their homeland, our kids will always raise their voices. We won't give up." Suu Kyi 'betrayed us' Their anger has been stoked further by speeches from the head of Myanmar's civilian administration, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has refused to condemn the military. "She betrayed us. We had great expectations but instead of helping us she remained silent." "She's doing politics with our lives," Mohammed said. Referring to Suu Kyi's comments about reports of Rohingya suffering as "fake news", Harun said: "Is it fake news that my sister was raped by the military?" Mohammed said he welcomed Britain's decision to suspend military assistance to Myanmar's army. But the deputy head of the association, Nur Huda, said it was up to Muslim countries to take the lead and follow the example of Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned "Buddhist terrorism". But Mohammed said: "It is not a Muslim issue. We are all human beings who share the same blood and want to live."

'I would be dead': Britain's Rohingyas speak out

<p>A special investigation team has unearthed 600 skeletons buried inside the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda compound in north India&#39;s Haryana just days after an intensive search.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the self-made&nbsp;godman, was convicted on rape charges last month, and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/dera-sacha-sauda-chief-sentenced-to-20-years-in-jail-for-rape-19583">was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court. </a>&nbsp;</p>

<p>During investigations&nbsp;by the SIT, Dera managing committee members have reportedly insisted that the &quot;human bones and remains&quot; found in the Sirsa campus belonged to those followers who believed that they or their family members would achieve salvation by being buried inside the Dera.</p>

<p>However, it is also suspected that these remains may be of those who were aware of the malpractices taking place inside the campus, or those who were trying to raise their voice again the Dera. The possibility is being looked into that these people were attacked by Gurmeet Ram Rahim&#39;s followers and their bodies buried inside the campus.</p>

<p>These are preliminary, initial reports suggesting that 600 skeletons and bones have been recovered from the Dera campus, but more clarity in the matter is awaited as Haryana Police and the SIT probe the case further.</p>


A special investigation team searched the Dera Sacha?Sauda's headquarters and unearthed 600 skeletons inside

A special investigation team has unearthed 600 skeletons buried inside the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda compound in north India's Haryana just days after an intensive search. Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the self-made godman, was convicted on rape charges last month, and was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court. During investigations by the SIT, Dera managing committee members have reportedly insisted that the "human bones and remains" found in the Sirsa campus belonged to those followers who believed that they or their family members would achieve salvation by being buried inside the Dera. However, it is also suspected that these remains may be of those who were aware of the malpractices taking place inside the campus, or those who were trying to raise their voice again the Dera. The possibility is being looked into that these people were attacked by Gurmeet Ram Rahim's followers and their bodies buried inside the campus. These are preliminary, initial reports suggesting that 600 skeletons and bones have been recovered from the Dera campus, but more clarity in the matter is awaited as Haryana Police and the SIT probe the case further.

WATCH: 600 skeletons found in Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim's headquarters

<p>The recent murder of a boy in a prominent international school has once again reignited focus on the issue of the safety of our children. Good spirited citizens and stalwarts of the child rights movement in India have declared war against the rape of children. This will hopefully raise much-needed awareness and make our population conscious of their role in ensuring our children&rsquo;s safety. However, call me a sceptic, but somehow the efficacy of these campaigns remain debatable (notwithstanding the good intentions behind them) considering how infrequent they are and how little effort is being made to tackle the grassroots&nbsp;problems around child sexual abuse. &nbsp;</p>

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<h5>A more recent study by World Vision revealed that 1 in 2 children are sexually abused.</h5>
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<p>A 2007 Government of India study on the magnitude of child abuse in India revealed that 53 per cent of boys and 47 per cent of girls who were part of the study revealed one or the other form of child sexual abuse. A more recent study by World Vision revealed that 1 in 2 children are sexually abused. In other words, from 2007 to 2017, we haven&rsquo;t had much luck in reducing the number of children who are sexually victimised.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Law enforcement statistics don&rsquo;t inspire much confidence either. A study by the Centre for Child and Law, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru on the functioning of special courts across the country revealed poor conviction rates and poorer compliance with the beneficial procedures for trial under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act, 2012. Poor quality investigations and prosecutions, lack of means to achieve expeditious administration of justice and, therefore, excellent acquittal rates, were as many problems a decade back as they are now. What has changed after years of campaigns and protests? The law? Yes. But are our children any less victimised? No. Where are we going wrong then?</p>

<p>On the prevention front, most states are yet to formulate child protection policies for children at school. Schools in Bangalore that saw incidents of child sexual abuse on campus early on, following the enactment of the POCSO Act, continue to function without much consequences. University and school campuses in the United States of America have suffered prohibitive orders for payment of damages that just makes it too expensive for them to not take the safety of students on campus seriously. When will we see such accountability in India?&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>Our discomfort around the subject of sexuality and corresponding safety translates to ignorance for our children.</h5>
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<p>Secondly, parents continue to transfer the onus of safety and sexuality education to educational institutions without making that a conversation at home. Our discomfort around the subject of sexuality and corresponding safety translates to ignorance for our children. Couple that with a culture of body shaming and pressure to achieve and our kids are not only ignorant but lack self-esteem. The result is vulnerability to abuse: emotional, physical and sexual. Plus, we also have a recurring and more widespread problem of incestuous child sexual abuse at home. Still, we continue to teach our children to obey elders without question. So this begs the question, are we holding ourselves accountable for failing in our duty to educate and empower our kids?</p>

<p>While the crime prevention dynamic is pathetic, crime investigations and prosecution fare no better. Our law enforcement agencies lack specialisation and a culture of research which is necessary to ensure effective institutions. Yet no campaign so far has demanded that the Government of India institute a program on the lines of the Behavioral Sciences Unit of the FBI in the USA. We still don&rsquo;t understand the child sex offender, because thus far, law enforcement has made no effort to study them to understand the patterns and motives governing these crimes.</p>

<p>Only one researcher in Criminology tried to study convicted rapists in India and our law enforcement must ask themselves why it was a good spirited citizen and not them that made this first effort. On an average, a DNA test report takes 18 months because we don&rsquo;t have enough forensic science laboratories. The sum total of these failures is that we don&rsquo;t have effective investigation tools and techniques to catch sex offenders quickly and effectively.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>While we are content distributing sweets when rapists are sentenced to death and we burn police stations, we refuse to focus on what we really need to prevent, deter and punish crimes against women and children.</h5>
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<p>Yet none of our campaigns so far have demanded the reforms necessary to address the above problems. While we are content distributing sweets when rapists are sentenced to death and we burn police stations, we refuse to focus on what we really need to prevent, deter and punish crimes against women and children. So far, the movement for victim&rsquo;s rights has suffered from intellectual laziness and profound insensitivity to the real problems on the ground. The reactive approach to sex crimes has served the only purpose of venting emotion and changing laws but has failed to achieve the necessary means to enforce those laws effectively. This begs the last question, are we holding ourselves accountable for our inefficiency as citizen activists?</p>

<p>Lastly, you might ask- who am I to judge people&rsquo;s emotions on the streets? I am a nobody, I admit. In fact, I shudder to put myself in the shoes of the child or the family that has been victimised by or affected by child sexual abuse. It is a nightmare in every sense of the word. But solutions I am afraid, come from a clinical approach to crime, bereft of emotions and supported by objective research. No doubt we should be angry and no doubt that we should empathise with the child who lost his life. But that anger and that empathy will go to a waste if we can&rsquo;t make our country safer for the other children out there. Can we, therefore, take a breather, sit on the drawing table and start planning and then act? For I feel that the war on rape can be won with strategy and not by a spontaneous call for action.</p>


What has changed after years of campaigns and protests? The law. But are our children any less victimised? No.

The recent murder of a boy in a prominent international school has once again reignited focus on the issue of the safety of our children. Good spirited citizens and stalwarts of the child rights movement in India have declared war against the rape of children. This will hopefully raise much-needed awareness and make our population conscious of their role in ensuring our children’s safety. However, call me a sceptic, but somehow the efficacy of these campaigns remain debatable (notwithstanding the good intentions behind them) considering how infrequent they are and how little effort is being made to tackle the grassroots problems around child sexual abuse. A more recent study by World Vision revealed that 1 in 2 children are sexually abused. × A 2007 Government of India study on the magnitude of child abuse in India revealed that 53 per cent of boys and 47 per cent of girls who were part of the study revealed one or the other form of child sexual abuse. A more recent study by World Vision revealed that 1 in 2 children are sexually abused. In other words, from 2007 to 2017, we haven’t had much luck in reducing the number of children who are sexually victimised. Law enforcement statistics don’t inspire much confidence either. A study by the Centre for Child and Law, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru on the functioning of special courts across the country revealed poor conviction rates and poorer compliance with the beneficial procedures for trial under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act, 2012. Poor quality investigations and prosecutions, lack of means to achieve expeditious administration of justice and, therefore, excellent acquittal rates, were as many problems a decade back as they are now. What has changed after years of campaigns and protests? The law? Yes. But are our children any less victimised? No. Where are we going wrong then? On the prevention front, most states are yet to formulate child protection policies for children at school. Schools in Bangalore that saw incidents of child sexual abuse on campus early on, following the enactment of the POCSO Act, continue to function without much consequences. University and school campuses in the United States of America have suffered prohibitive orders for payment of damages that just makes it too expensive for them to not take the safety of students on campus seriously. When will we see such accountability in India? Our discomfort around the subject of sexuality and corresponding safety translates to ignorance for our children. × Secondly, parents continue to transfer the onus of safety and sexuality education to educational institutions without making that a conversation at home. Our discomfort around the subject of sexuality and corresponding safety translates to ignorance for our children. Couple that with a culture of body shaming and pressure to achieve and our kids are not only ignorant but lack self-esteem. The result is vulnerability to abuse: emotional, physical and sexual. Plus, we also have a recurring and more widespread problem of incestuous child sexual abuse at home. Still, we continue to teach our children to obey elders without question. So this begs the question, are we holding ourselves accountable for failing in our duty to educate and empower our kids? While the crime prevention dynamic is pathetic, crime investigations and prosecution fare no better. Our law enforcement agencies lack specialisation and a culture of research which is necessary to ensure effective institutions. Yet no campaign so far has demanded that the Government of India institute a program on the lines of the Behavioral Sciences Unit of the FBI in the USA. We still don’t understand the child sex offender, because thus far, law enforcement has made no effort to study them to understand the patterns and motives governing these crimes. Only one researcher in Criminology tried to study convicted rapists in India and our law enforcement must ask themselves why it was a good spirited citizen and not them that made this first effort. On an average, a DNA test report takes 18 months because we don’t have enough forensic science laboratories. The sum total of these failures is that we don’t have effective investigation tools and techniques to catch sex offenders quickly and effectively. While we are content distributing sweets when rapists are sentenced to death and we burn police stations, we refuse to focus on what we really need to prevent, deter and punish crimes against women and children. × Yet none of our campaigns so far have demanded the reforms necessary to address the above problems. While we are content distributing sweets when rapists are sentenced to death and we burn police stations, we refuse to focus on what we really need to prevent, deter and punish crimes against women and children. So far, the movement for victim’s rights has suffered from intellectual laziness and profound insensitivity to the real problems on the ground. The reactive approach to sex crimes has served the only purpose of venting emotion and changing laws but has failed to achieve the necessary means to enforce those laws effectively. This begs the last question, are we holding ourselves accountable for our inefficiency as citizen activists? Lastly, you might ask- who am I to judge people’s emotions on the streets? I am a nobody, I admit. In fact, I shudder to put myself in the shoes of the child or the family that has been victimised by or affected by child sexual abuse. It is a nightmare in every sense of the word. But solutions I am afraid, come from a clinical approach to crime, bereft of emotions and supported by objective research. No doubt we should be angry and no doubt that we should empathise with the child who lost his life. But that anger and that empathy will go to a waste if we can’t make our country safer for the other children out there. Can we, therefore, take a breather, sit on the drawing table and start planning and then act? For I feel that the war on rape can be won with strategy and not by a spontaneous call for action.

Why Child Rights campaigns in India have failed to stop incidents like Ryan school murder

<p>Godmen, even the fake ones, know what the sacred texts say - &lsquo;You reap what you sow&rsquo;. Dera Sacha Sauda chief, who goes by the name of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh&mdash; a farcical attempt to symbolise communal togetherness &mdash; has been convicted by a CBI court for rape and sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. It&rsquo;s taken 15 years for justice to come, but as a popular line in Hindi films goes, &ldquo;Kanoon ke hath bahut lambey hain&rdquo; (the hands of the law are longer). Still, many would say that it&rsquo;s too little as a punishment for a repeated crime of such heinous nature; he ought to have been given a life term.</p>

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<h5>The phenomenon of fake godmen did not begin with this baba nor will it will end with him.</h5>
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<p>Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is one among the many discredited so-called godmen the Indian society has grappled with and will continue to do so. This is because the phenomenon of fake godmen did not begin with this baba nor will it will end with him. But, how is it that a society which has been enlightened spiritually and shown the path to true devotion from the likes of Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Ramanna Maharishi and Swami Vivekananda, from saints such as Tukaram and Namdev and Hazrat Nizamuddin, to Sri Aurobindo and J Krishnamurthy, and from devotees like Mirabai, should fall into the clutches of the likes of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and Asaram Bapu and Nityananda &mdash; and preachers of the Zakir Naik kind?&nbsp;</p>

<p>Make no mistake, the Dera Sacha Sauda movement is not going to disappear with its leader secured behind bars. Asaram Bapu&rsquo;s devotees are still out there in thousands across the country. Give these devotees all the evidence against their revered spiritual leader &mdash; even evidence of rape &mdash; but they will just refuse to buy it. They will see conspiracies behind the actions against their babas and swamis and will come out on the streets in violent protest. What makes the forgery tick and why?</p>

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<h5>Today&rsquo;s devotee seeks instant nirvana and is attracted by glamorous displays of the path to salvation.</h5>
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<p>One reason is the mindset of contemporary society. Today&rsquo;s devotee seeks instant nirvana and is attracted by glamorous displays of the path to salvation. It has no patience with the ascetic withdrawn from daily life, who lays down a long and difficult road to enlightenment. Such a follower sees nothing aberrant in a godman acting in films, dressing in a hilarious manner, and indulging in politics and immorality.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Of course, this is not enough for a godman to win over lakhs of supporters. He spins off various charitable activities, such as free schools and hospital to attract crowds and devotees. Some of them, such as the Dera chief, appeal to the conscience of marginalised sections of society who have been disappointed by the mainstream religious order and offer them an alternative. Once his charitable empire grows, so does his religious/spiritual domination. Soon, he begins to attract the attention of politicians who are ever on the prowl for vote-banks. That is how Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh grew in stature. And, this is the reason why Haryana Government dealt with the brewing crisis prior to his conviction with kid gloves.</p>

<p>It has been reported that the Dera chief had extended his support to the BJP during the last Assembly election in the State. He has also hobnobbed with senior Congress leaders. Similar was the case with Zakir Naik. His social activities and religious appeal led to many senior members of the Congress allowing him a free run while he spewed communal venom during the UPA rule. Thus, the religion-social work-political support nexus can make an imposter into a self-styled godman.</p>

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<p>Today&rsquo;s godmen don&rsquo;t appear to trust God to protect them - they have their own private armies.</p>

<p>Three years ago, another one of this tribe, Sant Rampal of Haryana, had sought to cock a snook at the law of the land when the police had to move in to nab him. His private army, equipped to fight, kept vigil over his ashram in Hissar and robustly resisted the police.</p>

<p>Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh&rsquo;s supporters were armed with petrol bombs and other such implements. It may be recalled that a year ago, so-called spiritual leader Ramvriksh Yadav, who claimed to be a follower of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, had, along with supporters, occupied a public park and turned it into his sect&rsquo;s headquarters. It was doubtlessly done with the connivance of the some of the State&rsquo;s then ruling party leaders. When the administration was compelled to act against Yadav on court orders, mayhem resulted. The so-called spiritual leader&rsquo;s private army swung into action, leading to serious violence. There are those who believe that religion and spirituality shun violence, but sects run by the likes of Yadav and Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh certainly do not.</p>

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<h5>A journalist who had written a critical report on the Dera&rsquo;s functioning and its leader&rsquo;s notorious reputation, lost his life.&nbsp;</h5>
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<p>It can be argued that a majority of the followers of controversial godmen are naive, and they genuinely believe in the goodness of their leader. They have no opportunity to run away from this belief because that &lsquo;goodness&rsquo; is amplified many times over through sustained propaganda &mdash; when this does not work in certain cases, other, strong-arm methods are covertly applied. Critics of such leaders are known to have disappeared or died in suspicious circumstances. It happened in Sathya Sai Baba&rsquo;s case, and it happened in Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim&rsquo;s case either &mdash; a journalist, who had written a critical report on the Dera&rsquo;s functioning and its leader&rsquo;s notorious reputation, lost his life.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The rising stock of fake godmen in Indian society has also to do with the sense of dissatisfaction and mental unrest that has come with materialism and consumerism. It can be argued that both these reasons prevail in Western society too, and perhaps in a more acute form, and yet the dubious godmen phenomenon is more strongly rooted in India. This is true, but there are two differences. The first is that the Indian mind, evolved through generations of a particular cultural ethos which seeks to place spiritualism on a higher pedestal than materialism, gets easily rebellious and is more susceptible to be drawn towards a spiritual/religious calling &mdash; even if it is to be satiated by questionable quarters.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The second reason has to do with the flexibility of Hinduism &mdash; the country&rsquo;s majority religion. This flexibility has indeed been Hinduism&rsquo;s strength, preventing it from becoming rigid, unchanging and exclusive. It has allowed the prosperity of other religions too, some new and others that spun off from Hinduism itself and evolved as independent entities. There has been no central institutionalised authority to guide the affairs of an ordinary Hindu. But this commendable feature also allowed space to all sorts of dubious elements to project themselves as spiritual or religious leaders, or even incarnations of God, who had the mandate to do anything.<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>And yet, despite the bleak present, there is hope for future through the exposure of the likes of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Indian society ought to be rattled enough to abandon the lure of false godmen and delve into the life and works of the country&rsquo;s great spiritual leaders, such as the icons of the Bhakti movement, for a meaningful life.</p>


Dera Sacha Sauda movement is not going to disappear with its leader secured behind bars.

Godmen, even the fake ones, know what the sacred texts say - ‘You reap what you sow’. Dera Sacha Sauda chief, who goes by the name of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh— a farcical attempt to symbolise communal togetherness — has been convicted by a CBI court for rape and sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. It’s taken 15 years for justice to come, but as a popular line in Hindi films goes, “Kanoon ke hath bahut lambey hain” (the hands of the law are longer). Still, many would say that it’s too little as a punishment for a repeated crime of such heinous nature; he ought to have been given a life term. The phenomenon of fake godmen did not begin with this baba nor will it will end with him. × Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is one among the many discredited so-called godmen the Indian society has grappled with and will continue to do so. This is because the phenomenon of fake godmen did not begin with this baba nor will it will end with him. But, how is it that a society which has been enlightened spiritually and shown the path to true devotion from the likes of Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Ramanna Maharishi and Swami Vivekananda, from saints such as Tukaram and Namdev and Hazrat Nizamuddin, to Sri Aurobindo and J Krishnamurthy, and from devotees like Mirabai, should fall into the clutches of the likes of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and Asaram Bapu and Nityananda — and preachers of the Zakir Naik kind? Make no mistake, the Dera Sacha Sauda movement is not going to disappear with its leader secured behind bars. Asaram Bapu’s devotees are still out there in thousands across the country. Give these devotees all the evidence against their revered spiritual leader — even evidence of rape — but they will just refuse to buy it. They will see conspiracies behind the actions against their babas and swamis and will come out on the streets in violent protest. What makes the forgery tick and why? Today’s devotee seeks instant nirvana and is attracted by glamorous displays of the path to salvation. × One reason is the mindset of contemporary society. Today’s devotee seeks instant nirvana and is attracted by glamorous displays of the path to salvation. It has no patience with the ascetic withdrawn from daily life, who lays down a long and difficult road to enlightenment. Such a follower sees nothing aberrant in a godman acting in films, dressing in a hilarious manner, and indulging in politics and immorality. Of course, this is not enough for a godman to win over lakhs of supporters. He spins off various charitable activities, such as free schools and hospital to attract crowds and devotees. Some of them, such as the Dera chief, appeal to the conscience of marginalised sections of society who have been disappointed by the mainstream religious order and offer them an alternative. Once his charitable empire grows, so does his religious/spiritual domination. Soon, he begins to attract the attention of politicians who are ever on the prowl for vote-banks. That is how Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh grew in stature. And, this is the reason why Haryana Government dealt with the brewing crisis prior to his conviction with kid gloves. It has been reported that the Dera chief had extended his support to the BJP during the last Assembly election in the State. He has also hobnobbed with senior Congress leaders. Similar was the case with Zakir Naik. His social activities and religious appeal led to many senior members of the Congress allowing him a free run while he spewed communal venom during the UPA rule. Thus, the religion-social work-political support nexus can make an imposter into a self-styled godman. The religion-social work-political support nexus can make an imposter into a self-styled godman. × Today’s godmen don’t appear to trust God to protect them - they have their own private armies. Three years ago, another one of this tribe, Sant Rampal of Haryana, had sought to cock a snook at the law of the land when the police had to move in to nab him. His private army, equipped to fight, kept vigil over his ashram in Hissar and robustly resisted the police. Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s supporters were armed with petrol bombs and other such implements. It may be recalled that a year ago, so-called spiritual leader Ramvriksh Yadav, who claimed to be a follower of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, had, along with supporters, occupied a public park and turned it into his sect’s headquarters. It was doubtlessly done with the connivance of the some of the State’s then ruling party leaders. When the administration was compelled to act against Yadav on court orders, mayhem resulted. The so-called spiritual leader’s private army swung into action, leading to serious violence. There are those who believe that religion and spirituality shun violence, but sects run by the likes of Yadav and Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh certainly do not. A journalist who had written a critical report on the Dera’s functioning and its leader’s notorious reputation, lost his life. × It can be argued that a majority of the followers of controversial godmen are naive, and they genuinely believe in the goodness of their leader. They have no opportunity to run away from this belief because that ‘goodness’ is amplified many times over through sustained propaganda — when this does not work in certain cases, other, strong-arm methods are covertly applied. Critics of such leaders are known to have disappeared or died in suspicious circumstances. It happened in Sathya Sai Baba’s case, and it happened in Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s case either — a journalist, who had written a critical report on the Dera’s functioning and its leader’s notorious reputation, lost his life. The rising stock of fake godmen in Indian society has also to do with the sense of dissatisfaction and mental unrest that has come with materialism and consumerism. It can be argued that both these reasons prevail in Western society too, and perhaps in a more acute form, and yet the dubious godmen phenomenon is more strongly rooted in India. This is true, but there are two differences. The first is that the Indian mind, evolved through generations of a particular cultural ethos which seeks to place spiritualism on a higher pedestal than materialism, gets easily rebellious and is more susceptible to be drawn towards a spiritual/religious calling — even if it is to be satiated by questionable quarters. The second reason has to do with the flexibility of Hinduism — the country’s majority religion. This flexibility has indeed been Hinduism’s strength, preventing it from becoming rigid, unchanging and exclusive. It has allowed the prosperity of other religions too, some new and others that spun off from Hinduism itself and evolved as independent entities. There has been no central institutionalised authority to guide the affairs of an ordinary Hindu. But this commendable feature also allowed space to all sorts of dubious elements to project themselves as spiritual or religious leaders, or even incarnations of God, who had the mandate to do anything. And yet, despite the bleak present, there is hope for future through the exposure of the likes of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Indian society ought to be rattled enough to abandon the lure of false godmen and delve into the life and works of the country’s great spiritual leaders, such as the icons of the Bhakti movement, for a meaningful life.

Will Ram Rahim's imprisonment bring to an end the godman syndrome in India?

<p>On May 29th, in Manesar at Gurgaon, a 19-year-old woman was gang-raped and her 9-month-old daughter was killed by throwing her to the ground. Yesterday, The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notices to the Director General of Police, Haryana and the Gurugram Police Commission stating, &ldquo;the night patrolling on the road by the police was not being done&rdquo;. The NHRC requested the Police Commissioners of Delhi, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad to come up with constructive suggestions and a joint action programme is expected by the law enforcement agencies of the National Capital Region (NCR). Though this came as a positive measure to ensure women&rsquo;s safety, yet we are a long way to go.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The situation is particularly difficult to address as many Indian politicians across partylines often place the onus on the victims themselves.&nbsp;For instance, Azam Khan of Samajwadi Party&nbsp;remarked after two girls were raped by 14 men&nbsp;at&nbsp;Rampur in Uttar Pradesh that&nbsp;&rdquo;girls should avoid places where molesters roam free&rdquo;. The incident and bizarre assertion make us question if we women have a safe space to dwell in this country. Another leader Babulal Gaur on another gang rape case of two teenagers said, &ldquo;this is a social crime which depends on men and women. Sometimes it&rsquo;s right, sometimes it&rsquo;s wrong.&ldquo; Such remarks by leaders clearly do not reflect us in a respectable position, hence we do not want your sympathy.</p>

<p>The Nirbhaya verdict (5th May 2017) stirred clamour around capital punishment against the perpetrators of rape. Many believed, the perpetrators deserved &lsquo;justice served&rsquo; and some opposed the idea of capital punishment. Unfortunately, after the most celebrated verdict by the Apex court, a series of rape cases has been&nbsp;reported so far. Death penalty is commonly seen&nbsp;as a deterrent but&nbsp;so far it has failed in the prevention of rape against women. In the month of May alone, three very heinous instances of rape have made the headlines in the country.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>Frequently,&nbsp;police officials encourages&nbsp;the victim to settle the matter out of court, thereby,&nbsp;dissuading&nbsp;them from&nbsp;pursuing&nbsp;the case</h5>
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<p><strong>The dark figure of crime: Unreported Rape</strong></p>

<p>The Indian Penal Code largely understands gender specific crime as an assault on women with the intent to outrage the modesty, cruelty by husband or relatives as well as kidnapping, abduction and rape. As per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), 327,394 cases of crimes against women were reported in 2015.&nbsp;In 95 per cent of these cases the offender knew&nbsp;the rape victim. One of the most frightening facts reported by NCRB is one rape occurs every 20 minutes in India.</p>

<p>Despite all the facts and figures reported by the NCRB, experts are unanimous that it is extremely to difficult to accurately calculate the number of rapes in any country, particularly in India. Victims often fail to report, more so,&nbsp;if family members are involved or in cases where the victim was found to be&nbsp;drunk or intoxicated. In the latter case, it is difficult to ascertain whether&nbsp;consent was given or not.&nbsp;Frequently,&nbsp;police officials encourages&nbsp;the victim to settle the matter out of court, thereby,&nbsp;dissuading&nbsp;them from&nbsp;pursuing&nbsp;the case.</p>

<p><strong>Rape: Theories and Beliefs</strong></p>

<p>If we evaluate why a woman is always the victim, it is pertinent to understand the various theories and studies done by scholars, psychologist and feminist over a period of time on rape culture. The early proponents of the Evolutionary Theory believed man rapes to enforce their sexual desires on a woman so that the offsprings bear their qualities. Whereas, the Feminist theory believed rape is &ldquo;violent and not just a sexual act&rdquo;, ideally generate fear and intimidate a woman.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The early proponents of feminism&nbsp;suggested, &ldquo;rape is about power and control and not sex&rdquo;. Anthropologist Peggy Reeves Sandy through her research on tribal societies presented &ldquo;rape varies cross-culturally&rdquo; and it includes, &rdquo;interpersonal violence, male dominance and sexual separation&rdquo;. Her study showcases the attitude towards women in &ldquo;rape free&rdquo; and &ldquo;rape prone&rdquo; zones. The &ldquo;rape free&rdquo; zones are ideal communities that &lsquo;respect female authority and power&rsquo; but, &ldquo;rape-prone&rdquo; are communities with male dominant societies. Her deviation from the common understanding provided a fresh perspective in understanding how certain positive attitude and behaviour in society tend to benefit women at large.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>&ldquo;Rape is a political matter&quot; and can be stopped only with the end patriarchy</h5>
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<p>&nbsp;The New York Radical Feminists in their Manifesto categorically states that rape is not a &ldquo;personal&rdquo; problem. Rather, their argument is&nbsp;&ldquo;rape is a political matter&quot; and can be stopped only with the end patriarchy. The position taken by the Radical feminists complicates the common perception that capital punishment of the culprit will root out rape.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Capital punishment or not: The big debate</strong></p>

<p>It is evident death penalty hasn&rsquo;t acted deterrent for our society. Moreover, the experts are not even sure whether the judiciary should see death penalty as a deterrent, reformation or retribution. &nbsp;Retribution is the common practice preferred however, it has failed to prove beneficial for neither our society nor criminals. This aspect is forcefully brought out by&nbsp;Professor John Braithwaite of The Australian National University who believes that&nbsp;&quot;crime hurts and justice should heal&quot;. The restorative justice cuts crime, it is noticed that after meeting their victims and engaging in a dialogue, criminals are less likely to re-offend. The survivor too gets a pivotal role in the &ldquo;justice process&rdquo;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Joanne Nodding, a rape survivor, a few years ago wanted to confront the man who raped her. As part of restorative justice programme, she decided to meet him five years after the incident. The program allows victims to initiate a conversation with the person responsible. During the session, Nodding described the harrowing abuse she had to undergo. The perpetrator apologised and Nodding ended the meeting by forgiving him. She added she felt &ldquo;on top of the world, she had to release the burden so that he could look towards his future. It may stop him from doing it again&rdquo;. It is difficult to analyse the punishment that would fit the bill for the rapist.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also, there exists unpredictability in awarding death sentence in rape cases, as most of the perpetrators are from underprivileged background. Raju Ramachandran, one of the amicus curie in the historic Nirbhaya&rsquo;s case, was a strong opponent of a death penalty.&nbsp;Ramachandran argued that a whole set of&nbsp;reasons, particularly one related to individual backgrounds&nbsp;should be considered rather than advocating that &quot;one penalty fits all&rdquo;. A blanket judgment&nbsp;&ldquo;hits at the very root of Article 14 which prohibits similar treatment of differently situated individuals&rdquo;. Despite a culture of &ldquo;shame and silence&rdquo;, we have to resort to progressive measures to deal with rape.</p>

<p>In spite of making necessary amendments in rape laws and better provisions adopted for women in India, nevertheless, we are not safe. The measures should be aimed at substantially reducing harm against women. Initiatives should be undertaken for collective actions, such as&nbsp;engaging&nbsp;bystanders, better policing, educate youth about healthy relationships and implement better prevention programs. Most of the initiatives undertaken in India have failed to achieve the desired result. It includes utilisation of Nirbhaya Fund-- &lsquo;One Stop Centre&rsquo;, &lsquo;Universalisation of Women Helpline&rsquo;, &lsquo;Mahila Police Volunteer&rsquo; and schemes of other Ministries/Departments under Nirbhaya Fund are yet to highlight their success stories.&nbsp;</p>

<p>To sum up, the unequal power dynamics between man and woman should be reduced; it will reduce the &ldquo;domination&rdquo; and &ldquo;discrimination&rdquo; attitude against women. Sexual violence is a public health issue,&nbsp;hence, collective action,&nbsp;implementing laws&nbsp;and generating interest are required to transform communities.</p>


Sexual violence is a public health issue,?hence, collective action is necessary to prevent rape

On May 29th, in Manesar at Gurgaon, a 19-year-old woman was gang-raped and her 9-month-old daughter was killed by throwing her to the ground. Yesterday, The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notices to the Director General of Police, Haryana and the Gurugram Police Commission stating, “the night patrolling on the road by the police was not being done”. The NHRC requested the Police Commissioners of Delhi, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad to come up with constructive suggestions and a joint action programme is expected by the law enforcement agencies of the National Capital Region (NCR). Though this came as a positive measure to ensure women’s safety, yet we are a long way to go. The situation is particularly difficult to address as many Indian politicians across partylines often place the onus on the victims themselves. For instance, Azam Khan of Samajwadi Party remarked after two girls were raped by 14 men at Rampur in Uttar Pradesh that ”girls should avoid places where molesters roam free”. The incident and bizarre assertion make us question if we women have a safe space to dwell in this country. Another leader Babulal Gaur on another gang rape case of two teenagers said, “this is a social crime which depends on men and women. Sometimes it’s right, sometimes it’s wrong.“ Such remarks by leaders clearly do not reflect us in a respectable position, hence we do not want your sympathy. The Nirbhaya verdict (5th May 2017) stirred clamour around capital punishment against the perpetrators of rape. Many believed, the perpetrators deserved ‘justice served’ and some opposed the idea of capital punishment. Unfortunately, after the most celebrated verdict by the Apex court, a series of rape cases has been reported so far. Death penalty is commonly seen as a deterrent but so far it has failed in the prevention of rape against women. In the month of May alone, three very heinous instances of rape have made the headlines in the country. Frequently, police officials encourages the victim to settle the matter out of court, thereby, dissuading them from pursuing the case × The dark figure of crime: Unreported Rape The Indian Penal Code largely understands gender specific crime as an assault on women with the intent to outrage the modesty, cruelty by husband or relatives as well as kidnapping, abduction and rape. As per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), 327,394 cases of crimes against women were reported in 2015. In 95 per cent of these cases the offender knew the rape victim. One of the most frightening facts reported by NCRB is one rape occurs every 20 minutes in India. Despite all the facts and figures reported by the NCRB, experts are unanimous that it is extremely to difficult to accurately calculate the number of rapes in any country, particularly in India. Victims often fail to report, more so, if family members are involved or in cases where the victim was found to be drunk or intoxicated. In the latter case, it is difficult to ascertain whether consent was given or not. Frequently, police officials encourages the victim to settle the matter out of court, thereby, dissuading them from pursuing the case. Rape: Theories and Beliefs If we evaluate why a woman is always the victim, it is pertinent to understand the various theories and studies done by scholars, psychologist and feminist over a period of time on rape culture. The early proponents of the Evolutionary Theory believed man rapes to enforce their sexual desires on a woman so that the offsprings bear their qualities. Whereas, the Feminist theory believed rape is “violent and not just a sexual act”, ideally generate fear and intimidate a woman. The early proponents of feminism suggested, “rape is about power and control and not sex”. Anthropologist Peggy Reeves Sandy through her research on tribal societies presented “rape varies cross-culturally” and it includes, ”interpersonal violence, male dominance and sexual separation”. Her study showcases the attitude towards women in “rape free” and “rape prone” zones. The “rape free” zones are ideal communities that ‘respect female authority and power’ but, “rape-prone” are communities with male dominant societies. Her deviation from the common understanding provided a fresh perspective in understanding how certain positive attitude and behaviour in society tend to benefit women at large. “Rape is a political matter" and can be stopped only with the end patriarchy × The New York Radical Feminists in their Manifesto categorically states that rape is not a “personal” problem. Rather, their argument is “rape is a political matter" and can be stopped only with the end patriarchy. The position taken by the Radical feminists complicates the common perception that capital punishment of the culprit will root out rape. Capital punishment or not: The big debate It is evident death penalty hasn’t acted deterrent for our society. Moreover, the experts are not even sure whether the judiciary should see death penalty as a deterrent, reformation or retribution. Retribution is the common practice preferred however, it has failed to prove beneficial for neither our society nor criminals. This aspect is forcefully brought out by Professor John Braithwaite of The Australian National University who believes that "crime hurts and justice should heal". The restorative justice cuts crime, it is noticed that after meeting their victims and engaging in a dialogue, criminals are less likely to re-offend. The survivor too gets a pivotal role in the “justice process”. Joanne Nodding, a rape survivor, a few years ago wanted to confront the man who raped her. As part of restorative justice programme, she decided to meet him five years after the incident. The program allows victims to initiate a conversation with the person responsible. During the session, Nodding described the harrowing abuse she had to undergo. The perpetrator apologised and Nodding ended the meeting by forgiving him. She added she felt “on top of the world, she had to release the burden so that he could look towards his future. It may stop him from doing it again”. It is difficult to analyse the punishment that would fit the bill for the rapist. Also, there exists unpredictability in awarding death sentence in rape cases, as most of the perpetrators are from underprivileged background. Raju Ramachandran, one of the amicus curie in the historic Nirbhaya’s case, was a strong opponent of a death penalty. Ramachandran argued that a whole set of reasons, particularly one related to individual backgrounds should be considered rather than advocating that "one penalty fits all”. A blanket judgment “hits at the very root of Article 14 which prohibits similar treatment of differently situated individuals”. Despite a culture of “shame and silence”, we have to resort to progressive measures to deal with rape. In spite of making necessary amendments in rape laws and better provisions adopted for women in India, nevertheless, we are not safe. The measures should be aimed at substantially reducing harm against women. Initiatives should be undertaken for collective actions, such as engaging bystanders, better policing, educate youth about healthy relationships and implement better prevention programs. Most of the initiatives undertaken in India have failed to achieve the desired result. It includes utilisation of Nirbhaya Fund-- ‘One Stop Centre’, ‘Universalisation of Women Helpline’, ‘Mahila Police Volunteer’ and schemes of other Ministries/Departments under Nirbhaya Fund are yet to highlight their success stories. To sum up, the unequal power dynamics between man and woman should be reduced; it will reduce the “domination” and “discrimination” attitude against women. Sexual violence is a public health issue, hence, collective action, implementing laws and generating interest are required to transform communities.

Why can't capital punishment stop rape in India?

<p>A ten-year-old girl got justice after being sexually assaulted by her uncle more than two years back.</p>

<p>The court sentenced the uncle after looking at the sketches made by the girl&nbsp;indicating sexual abuse and emotional as well as mental trauma.</p>

<p>Apparently, the girl was given paper and crayons while waiting to keep her distracted. It was then that she drew an abandoned house, a girl holding balloons, and a dress lying beside her. She chose dull colours to fill the drawing. The sketch was used as an evidence to prove her allegations.</p>

<p>The girl was disowned by her drunkard father after her mother died in Kolkata.</p>

<p>She lived with her aunt in Delhi after that. It was during this&nbsp;time that her uncle, Akhter Ahmed, assaulted her a number of times.</p>

<p>She fled her home and was found in a bus in November 2014. She was provided with care and rehabilitation and was slowly getting over her disturbing past. In a medical test, it could be concluded that she had been possibly assaulted sexually. Members of HAQ Centre for Child Rights counselled her and she slowly revealed to them her afflictions, but it still took them time to piece together a description of Ahmed. When traced in June 2016, he claimed not guilty.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the presence of the additional sessions judge Vinod Yadav, Ahmed&#39;s lawyer contested that the girl had been brainwashed into blaming him of rape and could not be considered &#39;competent witness&#39;.</p>

<p>After comprehending the girl&#39;s sketch, the judge said &quot;If the elements of this drawing are considered in the background of facts and circumstances of this case, then commission of sexual assault upon her by somebody in her house after undressing her, and it leaving an impression upon her mind, becomes evident. Therefore, I find the child victim to be a competent witness. Her so-called saviour had committed repeated sexual assault on her.&quot;</p>

<p>The court sentenced Ahmed of five years&#39; jail term and a fine of Rs 10,000 on the grounds that the sexual abuse was not penetrative. A compensation of Rs 3 lakh in fixed deposits was also announced&nbsp;for the girl&#39;s welfare and rehabilitation. It also praised HAQ counsellors Pearl Messy and Uzma Parveen for providing the child with institutional care.</p>

<p>&quot;The legal battle is over. The girl lives in a children&#39;s home and is attending regular school. She is doing very well in her studies and hopefully the compensation will help to build a bright future for her,&quot; her lawyer and child rights activist Chandra Suman Kumar told media reporters.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Two years being after raped by uncle, Kolkata girl got justice after providing her sketches as evidence in the court

A ten-year-old girl got justice after being sexually assaulted by her uncle more than two years back. The court sentenced the uncle after looking at the sketches made by the girl indicating sexual abuse and emotional as well as mental trauma. Apparently, the girl was given paper and crayons while waiting to keep her distracted. It was then that she drew an abandoned house, a girl holding balloons, and a dress lying beside her. She chose dull colours to fill the drawing. The sketch was used as an evidence to prove her allegations. The girl was disowned by her drunkard father after her mother died in Kolkata. She lived with her aunt in Delhi after that. It was during this time that her uncle, Akhter Ahmed, assaulted her a number of times. She fled her home and was found in a bus in November 2014. She was provided with care and rehabilitation and was slowly getting over her disturbing past. In a medical test, it could be concluded that she had been possibly assaulted sexually. Members of HAQ Centre for Child Rights counselled her and she slowly revealed to them her afflictions, but it still took them time to piece together a description of Ahmed. When traced in June 2016, he claimed not guilty. In the presence of the additional sessions judge Vinod Yadav, Ahmed's lawyer contested that the girl had been brainwashed into blaming him of rape and could not be considered 'competent witness'. After comprehending the girl's sketch, the judge said "If the elements of this drawing are considered in the background of facts and circumstances of this case, then commission of sexual assault upon her by somebody in her house after undressing her, and it leaving an impression upon her mind, becomes evident. Therefore, I find the child victim to be a competent witness. Her so-called saviour had committed repeated sexual assault on her." The court sentenced Ahmed of five years' jail term and a fine of Rs 10,000 on the grounds that the sexual abuse was not penetrative. A compensation of Rs 3 lakh in fixed deposits was also announced for the girl's welfare and rehabilitation. It also praised HAQ counsellors Pearl Messy and Uzma Parveen for providing the child with institutional care. "The legal battle is over. The girl lives in a children's home and is attending regular school. She is doing very well in her studies and hopefully the compensation will help to build a bright future for her," her lawyer and child rights activist Chandra Suman Kumar told media reporters.

Delhi court takes cognisance of 10-year-old girl's sketches to convict uncle of rape

<p>A 15-year-old girl was allegedly abducted and gangraped at a village here, with the accused men also filming the act on their mobile phone, police said today.</p>

<p>The girl had gone to her agriculture field on Wednesday when three men of her village, identified as Pravesh, Ramu and Pankaj, abducted and raped her, police said.</p>

<p>The village comes under Ramnagar police station area of Barabanki, adjoining the state capital Lucknow.</p>

<p>The accused are said to have also made a video clip of the crime and threatened the victim of dire consequences in case she informed anyone about the incident, police said.</p>

<p>The victim&#39;s family has alleged that police did not take their initial complaint seriously and registered their named FIR only yesterday evening when the matter was brought to the notice of senior officials.</p>

<p>Circle Officer Sripal Yadav, who visited the scene of the crime, said a case has been registered and efforts were on to nab the culprits.</p>

<p>(PTI)&nbsp;</p>


Police say the three accused threatened to release the video of the crime, and warned her of dire consequences if she told anybody

A 15-year-old girl was allegedly abducted and gangraped at a village here, with the accused men also filming the act on their mobile phone, police said today. The girl had gone to her agriculture field on Wednesday when three men of her village, identified as Pravesh, Ramu and Pankaj, abducted and raped her, police said. The village comes under Ramnagar police station area of Barabanki, adjoining the state capital Lucknow. The accused are said to have also made a video clip of the crime and threatened the victim of dire consequences in case she informed anyone about the incident, police said. The victim's family has alleged that police did not take their initial complaint seriously and registered their named FIR only yesterday evening when the matter was brought to the notice of senior officials. Circle Officer Sripal Yadav, who visited the scene of the crime, said a case has been registered and efforts were on to nab the culprits. (PTI)

Minor gang-raped, filmed on mobile camera in UP's Barabanki: Police

<p>Exactly four years after the infamous December 16 gang rape in the Indian capital, a girl was allegedly raped in a moving car in South Delhi,</p>

<p>The 20-year-old girl, who is from Noida, had&nbsp;come to Delhi in search of a job.</p>

<p>According to news agency ANI, the accused was driving a rental car bearing a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sticker and&nbsp;has been arrested by the police.</p>

<p>The girl was reportedly waiting for the bus at around 9 pm&nbsp;last night near All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS)&nbsp;after searching for a job the whole day.</p>

<p>A Maruti car stopped by and the driver offered her to drop to Noida, ANI reported.</p>

<p>At around 11 pm to 12 am, the driver allegedly molested and raped the 20-year-old. The girl managed to escape and reached the police van patrolling the area,</p>

<p>The police van took the victim to the police station and a medical check-up was conducted. The accused driver had fled from the spot after leaving the car.</p>

<p>The police has registered a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 357 and 376 and arrested the accused from his friend&#39;s house</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from ANI)</p>


The accused, driving a rental car bearing a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sticker,?has been arrested by police

Exactly four years after the infamous December 16 gang rape in the Indian capital, a girl was allegedly raped in a moving car in South Delhi, The 20-year-old girl, who is from Noida, had come to Delhi in search of a job. According to news agency ANI, the accused was driving a rental car bearing a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sticker and has been arrested by the police. The girl was reportedly waiting for the bus at around 9 pm last night near All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) after searching for a job the whole day. A Maruti car stopped by and the driver offered her to drop to Noida, ANI reported. At around 11 pm to 12 am, the driver allegedly molested and raped the 20-year-old. The girl managed to escape and reached the police van patrolling the area, The police van took the victim to the police station and a medical check-up was conducted. The accused driver had fled from the spot after leaving the car. The police has registered a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 357 and 376 and arrested the accused from his friend's house (WION with inputs from ANI)

India: Four years after Delhi gang rape, another girl raped in moving car

<p>A quarter of Europe&#39;s population believes that rape is justified in some circumstances, a research suggested, according to a report in the Independent.</p>

<p>A report by the European Union on gender-based violence gave the figures. The research involved 30,000 citizens across EU countries. It said that some of them thought forcing someone to have sex against their will was acceptable under a number of circumstances, such as if a person is wearing &ldquo;revealing&rdquo; clothes or if they are incapacitated with alcohol consumption.</p>

<p>Twenty-seven&nbsp;per cent of respondents across the EU thought forced sexual intercourse was acceptable in at least one set of circumstances. Some said it was acceptable if the victim had taken drink or drugs, if the victim voluntarily went home with someone, if they didn&rsquo;t clearly say no or physically fight back, the Independent report stated.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


A report by the European Union on gender-based violence gave the figures involving 30,000 citizens

A quarter of Europe's population believes that rape is justified in some circumstances, a research suggested, according to a report in the Independent. A report by the European Union on gender-based violence gave the figures. The research involved 30,000 citizens across EU countries. It said that some of them thought forcing someone to have sex against their will was acceptable under a number of circumstances, such as if a person is wearing “revealing” clothes or if they are incapacitated with alcohol consumption. Twenty-seven per cent of respondents across the EU thought forced sexual intercourse was acceptable in at least one set of circumstances. Some said it was acceptable if the victim had taken drink or drugs, if the victim voluntarily went home with someone, if they didn’t clearly say no or physically fight back, the Independent report stated. (WION)

Quarter of Europeans believe rape is sometimes justified: EU study

<p>Florencia was just 10 years old when her stepfather suffocated her with a plastic bag.</p>

<p>Lucia was 16 when two men drugged her, raped her and fatally impaled her on a spike.</p>

<p>Joseline was 22 when she was found strangled to death, her body covered in bruises.</p>

<p>They are three of the latest victims in a wave of horrific violence against women and girls that is stoking outrage in Latin America.</p>

<p>These three young women&#39;s countries -- Chile, Argentina and Mexico -- have, like much of the region, been swept by protests condemning domestic violence, machismo and what activists call a culture that values women less than men.</p>

<p>The movement is gaining momentum.</p>

<p>In Peru, President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski joined a protest in August that drew 50,000 people. Across the region, powerful labor unions and political parties are joining in.</p>

<p>&quot;There is a change, and it&#39;s very important,&quot; said Lakshmi Puri, the deputy executive director of UN Women.</p>

<p>&quot;This whole cry of zero tolerance is now catching on everywhere.&quot;</p>

<p>Puri compared what is happening in Latin America to her native India, where shock over the brutal gang rape and torture of a 23-year-old student unleashed a historic protest movement in 2012.</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s that same outrage now that is being provoked by this gruesome and brutal violence that is perpetrated against women and girls&quot; in Latin America, she told AFP.</p>

<p>She condemned the region&#39;s &quot;culture of machismo,&quot; saying it fuelled the violence.</p>

<p>Of the 25 countries that register the most women&#39;s murders worldwide, half are in Latin America, she said.</p>

<p><strong>Social networks&nbsp;</strong><br />
&quot;It&#39;s tremendously dangerous to be a woman in Latin America,&quot; said Ariadna Estevez, a researcher in human rights at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.</p>

<p>Mexicans have been protesting violence against women for at least 20 years, she said -- starting with the brutal murders of hundreds of women and girls in Ciudad Juarez, on the US border.</p>

<p>But that movement was mainly confined to victims&#39; friends and families.</p>

<p>Lately, there has been a broader, region-wide &quot;wake-up call,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>In Argentina, the protests started last year with a movement called #NiUnaMenos (Not One Woman Less). Born on Twitter and Facebook, it has since spread to several other countries.</p>

<p>In Mexico, it is called the Violet Spring (#PrimaveraVioleta).</p>

<p>&quot;Social networks played a fundamental role,&quot; said Estevez -- and not just to mobilise people.</p>

<p>&quot;It was also a form of catharsis,&quot; she said. &quot;A lot of women had never talked about sexual harassment and the violence they had faced. You realize it&#39;s not just you, it&#39;s the majority of women.&quot;</p>

<p>That is the case in Brazil, where the hashtag #MeuPrimeiroAssedio (My First Harassment) has gone viral.</p>

<p>In Uruguay, where social worker Fanny Samuniski has been helping abused women for years, she says she has noticed a change.</p>

<p>&quot;Now they arrive asking, What are my rights?&quot; she said.</p>

<p><strong>New generation&nbsp;</strong><br />
In Uruguay, one of the first countries in deeply Catholic Latin America to legalise divorce and abortion, 19 women have been killed by their partners or exes so far this year, activists say.</p>

<p>One case horrified the country in June, when a man set fire to his ex-girlfriend&#39;s house, badly burning her and killing her three daughters and a friend.</p>

<p>&quot;Women are reporting (domestic violence) much more, but they still put up with it for 10 years first,&quot; said Samuniski.</p>

<p>Part of the problem, she said, is they often have no means to support themselves.</p>

<p>She is pushing for Uruguay to pass a law imposing harsher sentences for &quot;femicide,&quot; as 16 Latin American countries have done.</p>

<p>Samuniski, who is nearly 80, said she has seen an awakening in the region.</p>

<p>&quot;The women of my generation were much more timid. They (the younger generations) are fighters,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>Women today are &quot;born and raised in another context,&quot; with more access to economic and educational resources, said Maria Nieves Rico, an Argentine who focuses on gender issues at the UN&#39;s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.</p>

<p>Change in the region will take time, but &quot;we are hearing their voices, and that always helps. Silence does not,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>(AFP)</p>


The continent is coming together to protest against domestic violence, a culture of machismo, and the putting of men before women

Florencia was just 10 years old when her stepfather suffocated her with a plastic bag. Lucia was 16 when two men drugged her, raped her and fatally impaled her on a spike. Joseline was 22 when she was found strangled to death, her body covered in bruises. They are three of the latest victims in a wave of horrific violence against women and girls that is stoking outrage in Latin America. These three young women's countries -- Chile, Argentina and Mexico -- have, like much of the region, been swept by protests condemning domestic violence, machismo and what activists call a culture that values women less than men. The movement is gaining momentum. In Peru, President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski joined a protest in August that drew 50,000 people. Across the region, powerful labor unions and political parties are joining in. "There is a change, and it's very important," said Lakshmi Puri, the deputy executive director of UN Women. "This whole cry of zero tolerance is now catching on everywhere." Puri compared what is happening in Latin America to her native India, where shock over the brutal gang rape and torture of a 23-year-old student unleashed a historic protest movement in 2012. "It's that same outrage now that is being provoked by this gruesome and brutal violence that is perpetrated against women and girls" in Latin America, she told AFP. She condemned the region's "culture of machismo," saying it fuelled the violence. Of the 25 countries that register the most women's murders worldwide, half are in Latin America, she said. Social networks "It's tremendously dangerous to be a woman in Latin America," said Ariadna Estevez, a researcher in human rights at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Mexicans have been protesting violence against women for at least 20 years, she said -- starting with the brutal murders of hundreds of women and girls in Ciudad Juarez, on the US border. But that movement was mainly confined to victims' friends and families. Lately, there has been a broader, region-wide "wake-up call," she said. In Argentina, the protests started last year with a movement called #NiUnaMenos (Not One Woman Less). Born on Twitter and Facebook, it has since spread to several other countries. In Mexico, it is called the Violet Spring (#PrimaveraVioleta). "Social networks played a fundamental role," said Estevez -- and not just to mobilise people. "It was also a form of catharsis," she said. "A lot of women had never talked about sexual harassment and the violence they had faced. You realize it's not just you, it's the majority of women." That is the case in Brazil, where the hashtag #MeuPrimeiroAssedio (My First Harassment) has gone viral. In Uruguay, where social worker Fanny Samuniski has been helping abused women for years, she says she has noticed a change. "Now they arrive asking, What are my rights?" she said. New generation In Uruguay, one of the first countries in deeply Catholic Latin America to legalise divorce and abortion, 19 women have been killed by their partners or exes so far this year, activists say. One case horrified the country in June, when a man set fire to his ex-girlfriend's house, badly burning her and killing her three daughters and a friend. "Women are reporting (domestic violence) much more, but they still put up with it for 10 years first," said Samuniski. Part of the problem, she said, is they often have no means to support themselves. She is pushing for Uruguay to pass a law imposing harsher sentences for "femicide," as 16 Latin American countries have done. Samuniski, who is nearly 80, said she has seen an awakening in the region. "The women of my generation were much more timid. They (the younger generations) are fighters," she said. Women today are "born and raised in another context," with more access to economic and educational resources, said Maria Nieves Rico, an Argentine who focuses on gender issues at the UN's Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Change in the region will take time, but "we are hearing their voices, and that always helps. Silence does not," she said. (AFP)

Shocked by women's murders, Latin Americans fight back

<p>A federal jury in Virginia on Friday found Rolling Stone liable of defaming a University of Virginia administrator by publishing a since-retracted story about an alleged gang rape at the school.</p>

<p>The decision followed a three-week trial in US&nbsp;District Court in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the administrator, Nicole Eramo, sued the magazine, owner Wenner Media and reporter Sabrina Erdely for $7.9 million. The jury returns on Monday to determine damages in the case.</p>

<p>Erdely was found liable of actual malice, a key element in libel law, in six statements in the November 2014 story, &quot;A Rape on Campus.&quot; Rolling Stone and Wenner Media were each found liable of actual malice in three statements, according to court documents.</p>

<p>It must be shown that a media organisation published what it knew to be false, or did so with reckless disregard for the truth, to prove defamation.</p>

<p>The magazine had reported that a female student known as Jackie was raped at a university fraternity in 2012. The story sparked a national debate about sexual assault on US&nbsp;campuses. Rolling Stone retracted the story in April 2015 after inconsistencies arose and police found no evidence of an attack. It was an embarrassing blow to the pop culture magazine founded by Jann Wenner in 1967.</p>

<p>Campus sexual assault remains a major concern, with some reports estimating that one in five female students will be victims of it during their college years.</p>

<p>Statistics about this subject are by definition impossible to be 100 per cent accurate, because many rapes, for different reasons, go officially unreported. Because rape is so hard to prove,&nbsp;victims are often unwilling to bring it forward in court.&nbsp;Many find it&nbsp;more preferable to remain silent and allow their rapist to walk than&nbsp;relive&nbsp;the trauamtic details in a public court, or have&nbsp;an opposing lawyer systematically&nbsp;attack&nbsp;their&nbsp;character.</p>

<p>Eramo, who was then an associate dean of students, accused the magazine of portraying her as the story&#39;s villain and focussed on hushing up sexual assault reports. She now works in an administrative role at the university.</p>

<p>Mark MacDougall, an attorney at New York&#39;s Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld law firm, said actual malice did not mean that the defendants had to dislike Eramo or wish her harm.</p>

<p>&quot;When a reporter, an editor or a magazine behave like they don&rsquo;t care whether what they publish is false, that&rsquo;s enough to support a finding of actual malice,&rdquo; MacDougall said in an emailed comment.</p>

<p>In a statement, Rolling Stone spokeswoman Kathryn Brenner said: &quot;We deeply regret these missteps and sincerely apologise to anyone hurt by them, including Ms&nbsp;Eramo.&quot;</p>

<p>A New York judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit in June brought by members of the University of Virginia fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi, against Wenner Media, Rolling Stone and Erdely. The fraternity has also sued Rolling Stone over the story.</p>

<p>(With inputs from Reuters)</p>


The story about an alleged gang rape launched a discussion across North America about sexual assault at universities

A federal jury in Virginia on Friday found Rolling Stone liable of defaming a University of Virginia administrator by publishing a since-retracted story about an alleged gang rape at the school. The decision followed a three-week trial in US District Court in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the administrator, Nicole Eramo, sued the magazine, owner Wenner Media and reporter Sabrina Erdely for $7.9 million. The jury returns on Monday to determine damages in the case. Erdely was found liable of actual malice, a key element in libel law, in six statements in the November 2014 story, "A Rape on Campus." Rolling Stone and Wenner Media were each found liable of actual malice in three statements, according to court documents. It must be shown that a media organisation published what it knew to be false, or did so with reckless disregard for the truth, to prove defamation. The magazine had reported that a female student known as Jackie was raped at a university fraternity in 2012. The story sparked a national debate about sexual assault on US campuses. Rolling Stone retracted the story in April 2015 after inconsistencies arose and police found no evidence of an attack. It was an embarrassing blow to the pop culture magazine founded by Jann Wenner in 1967. Campus sexual assault remains a major concern, with some reports estimating that one in five female students will be victims of it during their college years. Statistics about this subject are by definition impossible to be 100 per cent accurate, because many rapes, for different reasons, go officially unreported. Because rape is so hard to prove, victims are often unwilling to bring it forward in court. Many find it more preferable to remain silent and allow their rapist to walk than relive the trauamtic details in a public court, or have an opposing lawyer systematically attack their character. Eramo, who was then an associate dean of students, accused the magazine of portraying her as the story's villain and focussed on hushing up sexual assault reports. She now works in an administrative role at the university. Mark MacDougall, an attorney at New York's Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld law firm, said actual malice did not mean that the defendants had to dislike Eramo or wish her harm. "When a reporter, an editor or a magazine behave like they don’t care whether what they publish is false, that’s enough to support a finding of actual malice,” MacDougall said in an emailed comment. In a statement, Rolling Stone spokeswoman Kathryn Brenner said: "We deeply regret these missteps and sincerely apologise to anyone hurt by them, including Ms Eramo." A New York judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit in June brought by members of the University of Virginia fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi, against Wenner Media, Rolling Stone and Erdely. The fraternity has also sued Rolling Stone over the story. (With inputs from Reuters)

Rolling Stone magazine liable for defamation in campus rape story

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