A 30-year-old man has been put into custody for allegedly raping an 87-year-old woman in India’s national capital, Delhi.
Sunday afternoon, an un-named bedridden woman was by herself in her home in the city’s Tilak Nagar area. It was then that she was attacked and robbed. The woman lives with her daughter, who was not at home at the time of the assault. She returned to find her mother injured. Police said that the woman’s family on Sunday had reported only theft – and alleged rape in a second complaint on Monday. However, The victim’s family had another story to tell, blaming the police for only registering a complaint of theft and not of rape – claiming the police persuaded them to not report the assault as it would be “stressful” for them, the police are said to have reported the theft and didn’t inform the victim or their family of them leaving out the assault charges. Sources say the accused works as a sweeper in the locality and the police arrested him after they found crucial technical evidence against him.
This encounter highlights a major issue with equality in India for a wide range of injustices, the mains being sexual assault, ageism, and sexism. Sexual violence has been a reeling issue since the 2012 gang rape and killing of a young woman on a bus. Following the graphic nature of the attack, India introduced tough new rape laws, that can even escalate to the death penalty in especially horrific cases.
In 2020, the world was shocked to hear about the 86-year-old survivor, who was also a grandmother. But, campaigners say, “there is “no magic wand, no one thing” that can make the problem of gender violence disappear overnight. I have met a month-old girl and women in their sixties who have been assaulted”, adding that no age group is safe.
With words like these, it’s scary to think how one cant rely on their government to ensure the right thing gets done. It’s scarier to think that you not only become a victim of your assault, but also a victim of a failing system.
