The Indian parliament has introduced tougher laws, designed to protect the sexual health of young women. This has been introduced in the wake of the outrage surrounding the case of a young woman who was gang raped on an Indian bus, and subsequently died.
Under the new legislation, the wellbeing of young women will be more highly prioritised, as those who suffer from voyeurism, stalking or sexual harassment will now be better protected under the law as these actions have become criminalised. The new law also means that those who carry out repeated or fatal rape attacks will be subject to the most serious punitive measures – the death penalty. In addition to this, it makes it illegal for police officers to refuse to open a case when they receive a report of a sexual attack – an occurrence which has been all too common up until now.
The shocking attack, which took place in December of last year, has placed a strong focus on the wellness of women in India, and thus public pressure has brought this legislation into play. It still requires the president’s signature in order to become official law, however.
Women’s activists view this new law as an important milestone in the fight for women’s rights in India, but do have some reservations about it, as well as being concerned as the country does not have a strong history of law enforcement. Campaigners urge caution amid celebration, pointing out that there is still a long way to go before women are both safe and equal in Indian society.
Both the upper and lower houses of parliament in India have approved the bill, following on from it being hurried through parliament due to the extent of the outrage that was ignited by the recent fatal rape in India.
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