India: Women Fear for Safety as Sexual Assaults Rise

A wave of sexual violence cases in India has brought women's safety back into the national spotlight. Earlier this week, a 17-year-old girl was gang-raped in a park in New Delhi, the country's capital. Three men pretending to be police officers took her at gunpoint to a quiet area of Aastha Kunj Park. The attack has shocked people across India and led to protests, new security measures, and questions about why violence against women remains so common.

After the attack in New Delhi, the city increased security around its parks. Officials added better lighting, more security guards, and more frequent patrols. Many women in the city say they already felt unsafe, and the attack made things worse. "Women and girls across the city are incredibly wary, anxious, and deeply concerned about their safety," said Anita Kunwar, an 18-year-old college student from East Delhi. "An incident like this, especially in a public space where people go to relax, shatters your sense of security."

Other students shared similar feelings. Deepika Singh, a 19-year-old university student in New Delhi, said reports of violent attacks seem to be increasing. "It is as if these crimes are being normalized. It is sickening," she said. Still, she added that she refuses to let the violence change how she lives her life. Hundreds of students, many of them women, marched through New Delhi demanding safer public spaces. Some carried signs that read, "Our body is our own," while others called for the freedom to go out at night without fear.

The problem is not limited to New Delhi. In the state of Bihar, a video showing the assault of a teenage girl and the beating of her male friend caused widespread anger. Police arrested three minors and set up a special team to investigate. In another part of Bihar, a woman was allegedly raped and badly hurt in a hotel room after traveling there for work. A video of the attack later spread on social media, causing even more outrage.

Violence also disrupted a university in the state of Punjab. Lovely Professional University suspended classes and postponed exams after a protest over an alleged rape turned violent. Protesters clashed with police, and vandalism was reported on campus. These incidents show that the issue of women's safety is a nationwide problem, not just a local one.

According to India's National Crime Records Bureau, more than 80 rapes are reported to police every day across the country. Women's rights groups say the real number is likely much higher because many attacks are never reported. Groups like People Against Rape in India (PARI) argue that fear, shame, and distrust of the police stop many survivors from coming forward. This means the official data gives only a partial picture of how serious the problem truly is.

India did try to address this issue before. After a student was gang-raped and murdered in New Delhi in 2012, massive protests swept the nation. The government responded with tougher laws, stricter punishments for offenders, and special fast-track courts to handle sexual violence cases more quickly. However, women's rights groups say these changes have not been enough. They point to deeply rooted attitudes that treat women unequally, understaffed police forces, and slow courts as reasons why many attackers still believe they can escape punishment.

Officials are now taking new steps. Delhi's Lieutenant Governor ordered the creation of a "Pink Force" — a group of women police officers — to improve safety at schools, metro stations, and other public places. India's Supreme Court also stepped in, taking up the recent cases on its own and ordering Delhi Police to find unsafe locations, improve patrols, and check the lighting and security cameras in parks. Police have been given four weeks to complete these improvements and report back to the court.

Experts say, however, that better policing alone will not solve the problem. Retired senior police officer Yashvardhan Azad told DW that society's attitudes are part of the issue. "The failure is first the society where any woman going alone at night or with a friend is viewed with suspicion," he said. He also noted that public spaces are often poorly maintained and badly lit, making them more dangerous. He argued that well-lit roads, better-managed parks, and trained security guards — along with security cameras — are needed alongside stronger policing.

Women's rights expert Kalpana Vishwanath said cities need to be designed with safety in mind from the start. She believes public spaces should be evaluated on factors like lighting, clear walkways, access to transportation, and the presence of security staff and vendors who can act as natural watchdogs. Criminal lawyer Rebecca John added that problems continue even after a crime is reported. She said police sometimes refuse to believe survivors, forensic evidence is processed slowly, and key witness statements are poorly recorded. India has very few national forensic labs, which means evidence can take a long time to analyze, sometimes leading to attackers being let go.