Patna : Speaking at the 'Patna Dialog', a program organized by the Hindustan newspaper in Patna on Thursday, former Bollywood sweetheart Raveena Tandon said that it was naïve to think that somehow cases of rapes will decline if the girls or the women started to wear long dresses as suggested by many in the wake of a sharp rise in crime against women.

Tandon, the star of dozens of hit Hindi films including her iconic 'Mohra' that had everyone singing the superhit 'Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast' song, speaking at the forum, said that a number of rape cases involving girls as young as three years old were reported from various parts of the country just as rapes reported involving 60-year old women.

"Dresses did not play any role in these cases so this argument that somehow there will be a drop in rape cases because of a change in dress codes is simply not true," Tandon said.

When asked about 'casting couch' involving aspiring actresses in the film industry, the former actress-turned-social activist said that such cases were not limited to the film industry but were increasingly becoming common in the corporate sector and politics.

"This is a global issue and this topic must be continued to be debated to spread awareness about crime against girls and women of all ages," she said adding a rape is committed every 20 minutes in India and 48% of the rapes involve someone close to the victim.

Tandon also urged women to become stronger and resolve to not compromise with their principles under any condition.

This is the second trip of Tandon to Patna in the past two months. On March 14, at a function at the New Patna Club, the actress participating in walking the ramp to promote a new sari showroom in the state capital.

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