Caste, Religion and Young People
In Kolar district of Karnataka, in another case of “honour killing”, a 17-year-old girl was killed by her father for being in love with a boy from a “lower” caste. He suspected they were planning to elope.
In Delhi, a 16-year-old boy was stripped, assaulted and paraded naked. But the police have denied some of the claims.
In Delhi, two artists working on a Delhi-government approved project to celebrate the city’s culture were threatened by a group of RSS members for painting Urdu couplets. They were then treated aggressively by the police.
Reported Rapes & Rape Case Updates
Several cases of rape, attempt to rape and child sexual abuse were reported.
A woman killed her husband after he tried to rape her minor daughter in Bihar’s Katihar district
#JusticeForJisha: The case of the brutal rape & murder of the Dalit law student in Kerala, has now been handed over to a new investigating team. But, the ‘Justice for Jisha Council Coordination Committee-Kerala’ has urged the government to hand over the case to the CBI to ensure an effective investigation.
Other News
Noted women’s right activist and environmentalist Trupti Shah passed away last week after a long battle with lung cancer.
The Supreme Court asked the Centre to formulate a national policy for proper rehabilitation of rape survivors, saying that the Nirbhaya fund amounts to “just a lip service”. The Supreme Court has also sought response from various states over steps taken towards victim compensation, witness protection schemes and setting up of one-stop crisis centres for protection of victims of sexual crimes.
The labour and employment ministry has written to all state chief secretaries to make the necessary change in state laws to allow women to work night shifts. Currently, women are currently permitted to work between 6am and 7pm. However, there does not seem to be any conversation about the company’s responsiblity to offer a safe working space & safe commuting options for women employees.
According to a survey by ActionAid UK, which polled 500 women, at least 4 out of 5 women have faced sexual harassment in public spaces.
What We’re Reading
Nagraj Hettur writes this quick account on trying to find a house to live in and how he was refused a place on rent because “they don’t rent houses to SC.”
According to the census data, Indian families are getting smaller and the sharpest decline is among Muslim families.
What is the history behind public bathrooms being separated by gender? Here is an explainer.
Activists say that India’s worst drought in decades is hurting women and lower-caste Dalits disproportionately, with impacts ranging from malnutrition to early marriage to prostitution.
Featured Image Credit: A picture from the #JusticeForJisha protest | kafila.org
