Rape Capital Diary

I’m counting…hearings on 11,696 cases of crime against women, including rape, 3.25 lakh calls on the helpline, 7,500 site visits, legal assistance to 5,500 sexual assault victims, 1,869 counselling sessions, 55 recommendations to the government. That’s one year in the life of the present Delhi Commission for Women (DCW)! In the last eight years of my predecessor’s stint, one case was heard. Visiting red-light areas or shelter homes at night, responding to cases that seem to come almost on a conveyor belt, as if society were a giant factory producing misogynistic violence, I had put in wall-to-wall work since I took over two years ago. But am I doing enough? This question haunted me the other day after I met two more rape victims—one a girl of seven, the other just 18 months old who underwent two-hour-long operations! I have not slept since then, wondering if my job is all about assisting victims without being able to do anything to bring the culprits to justice quickly. The toddler obviously could not speak, but I could hear her asking very disturbing questions. It was then that the thought of a satyagraha crossed my mind. And then on November 14, Children’s Day, an 18-month-old girl was again raped in the capital. I sat in front of the Union home minister’s house to draw attention to this, appealing to many other Delhi leaders as well, but I was removed from the spot by force.