Mumbai Police

Mumbai

Maharashtra

Crimes against women have been steadily increasing since 2012.

ByRapid jump in crimes against women; experts push for stringent punishmentIn six-and-a-half years, crimes against women in the city have risen by 85 per cent. In the first six months of 2018 alone, 3,047 cases have been registered. Contrast that with 1,649 cases reported in all of 2012.According to data available with the, crimes against women, including rape, molestation, kidnapping, cruelty by in-laws and murder, have been steadily increasing since 2012.Twenty per cent of 4,356 rape cases registered in the state in 2017 and at least 15 per cent of 12,238 molestation cases are from Mumbai.The national capital reported 8,644 crimes against women last year.saw 5,425 cases in the same period.The police believe that the rise in numbers is also owing to better awareness on the need to report crimes and “faith” in the justice system.Manjunath Shinge, deputy commissioner of police and Mumbai Police spokesperson, said, “We have a separate women’s cell at every police station. It is our priority to tackle cases against them. We take complaints seriously and register cases immediately. That crimes are being reported fearlessly without stigma is a reflection of the success of our awareness campaigns.”Vijaya Rahatkar, chairperson of theState Commission for Women, says while awareness campaigns may have encouraged more women to report crimes, creating a safe atmosphere is of paramount importance. “We, as a society, should take the collective responsibility of ensuring women’s safety.”MN Singh, former police commissioner, finds the recent spike in cases of stalkers killing women “worrying”. “Such men are refusing to take ‘no’ for an answer and resort to violent crimes in retaliation.”He holds migrants from smaller towns also responsible for the increase in crimes in the city. “There are social as well as economic reasons, among others, behind crimes. It is important to teach young boys that they can’t treat girls and women as objects of desire, that they are their equals,” says Singh.He believes that setting examples through stringent punishment will go a long way in preventing such crimes.