2. Review
It has been reported that police would put all manners of hurdles in even
registering cases of domestic violence, even when the victims feared for their
very lives. In cases where wives had been murdered, the police have at
times, been found to play an active role in destroying evidence and passing
off these cases as suicides or accidental deaths – simply because, it has been
alleged, they had been bribed. 21 The policemen need to take the domestic
violence cases seriously and must do the needful in all the cases. They must
be sympathetic to women victims and give due respect to their primacy.
Also, they must inform the aggrieved person of her right to obtain relief by
way of a protection order whenever a complaint of domestic violence is
received or an officer is present at the place of an incident of domestic
violence.22
D. Rape
Rape is one of the most reprehensible crimes and is often unreported. It
has threatened women of all countries since time immemorial. Between
1990 and 2008, reported rapes soared by 112 percent nationwide, according
to the National Crime Records Bureau, while cases of molestation and
sexual harassment also increased between 2001 and 2008. Such figures likely
understate the problem. Many survivors of sexual violence do not report
attacks because they fear ridicule or retribution, as well as assumptions
that victims of sexual assault are “bad,” “loose,” or otherwise responsible
for the attack. Survivors and their families may also be reluctant to subject
themselves to the criminal justice system, which offers no victim and
witness support and protection program, and which may inflict additional
trauma.
Not least of the disincentives for reporting abuse is the prospect of
undergoing a forensic examination. Evidence collection techniques are
rarely standardized and are frequently difficult. Too often, survivors must
make grueling trips from one hospital or ward to another, and receive
multiple examinations at each stop. Medical workers frequently collect
evidence inadequately or insensitively, and it may then be lost, poorly
21
Legal Status and Remedies for Women in India –Mukherjee, Roma, Deep and Deep
Publications 1997
22
Section 5 of The Protection of Women From Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
Manual on Human Rights for Police Officers
37