NEW DELHI ¨C Last December¡¯s fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman in New Delhi triggered an unprecedented public outcry in India. Tens of thousands of citizens took to the streets to demand an end to police indifference to women¡¯s safety, stronger laws and speedier trials for those charged with crimes against women.
The protests launched a countrywide movement, spurring nonstop media coverage of women¡¯s issues. So, has significant change followed?
Within eight days of the rape, a special commission, led by former Supreme Court Chief Justice J.S. Verma, was established. The commission¡¯s roughly 700-page report, completed in only 29 days, urged the government to take swift, far-reaching action. Among the report¡¯s recommendations were stronger penalties for sex crimes, including harassment; a requirement that police officers report every instance of alleged rape; and broader measures to address pervasive discrimination against women.
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