Role: BBC Correspondent in India
People have been calling her by different names: "Braveheart," "Fearless One," and "India's Daughter"... and offering prayers, hoping she would recover soon.
This woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, passed away earlier on Saturday at a hospital in Singapore. Her death has raised questions once again: why are women in India subjected to such horrific treatment?
Female infants are often aborted or abandoned, leading to a severe gender imbalance in the population. Many survivors, whether single or married, face discrimination, prejudice, violence, and neglect.
The Thomson Reuters Foundation's TrustLaw service ranked India as the worst country for women. Yet, India is a nation where the ruling party leader, the Speaker of the Lower House, and at least three Chief Ministers are women. Many prominent figures in sports and business are also women. A new generation of Indian women is entering the workforce in larger numbers than ever before.
However, crimes against women in India have continued to rise.
Records from 2011 show over 24,000 criminal cases against women, with rape cases increasing by 9.2% compared to the previous year. More than 54.7% of the victims were between the ages of 18 and 30. The most shocking fact is that, according to police records, in 94% of cases, the perpetrators were known to the victim, with a third being the victims' neighbors, and other perpetrators included parents and other relatives. Seventeen percent of all rapes in India occur in Delhi.
Police records show that, since 2011, incidents of kidnapping and abduction of women have risen by 19.4%, murders due to dowry disputes have increased by 2.7%, lynchings have risen by 5.4%, harassment of women has gone up by 5.8%, and cases of trafficking women have increased by a staggering 122%.
Nobel laureate and economist Amartya Sen estimated that over 100 million women are "missing" worldwide, meaning they did not receive the same healthcare, medical treatment, or nutrition as men.
Economists Anderson and Debraj have estimated that more than 2 million women go missing every year in India.
They found that around 12% of these women went missing at birth, 25% died during childhood, 18% during their reproductive years, and 45% during old age.
They also found that many women died from so-called "injuries" during childbirth, indicating that women suffered from violence.
Fire-related accidents are also a major cause of death among women. Over 100,000 women are burned to death in India each year, with many cases tied to dowry disputes, where women are set on fire over demands for dowry. The researchers also found a large number of women dying from heart disease.
A Lack of Trust
These studies show that women in India are neglected throughout their lives. The preference for sons over daughters has led to sex-selective abortions. But that’s just part of the story.
Clearly, many Indian women face threats at every stage of life—violence, lack of healthcare, inequality, neglect, poor diet, and lack of attention to personal health and well-being.
Analysts say that unless there is a deep-rooted change in societal attitudes, women in India will continue to face exclusion and insecurity. Patriarchy and deep-seated male chauvinism, especially in northern India, are significant barriers. Moreover, the state has not been playing its part adequately in protecting women.
Many angry Indians feel that politicians, including Prime Minister Singh, cannot be trusted when they promise to strengthen laws and speed up trials for rapists and those who abuse women.
The question on everyone's mind is, how can India's political parties protect women when 27 candidates in state elections over the past five years have been charged with rape? How can citizens trust their leaders when six elected state legislators have rape accusations against them?
Following the death of the young woman in Singapore, protests erupted again in Delhi, bringing a glimmer of hope. Will her death become a turning point in Indian history, forcing the government to introduce tougher laws and encouraging real attention to the neglected plight of Indian women?
For now, one can only hope that this tragedy serves as a beginning, triggering a series of changes.