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Gang rape report blames failure of good governance in India
The Guardian - January 25, 2013
The report, presented by a commission set up in the wake of the attack and given to the government by Jagdish Sharan Verma, a former chief justice, amounts to a harsh indictment of policing, the courts, successive governments and social attitudes that have contributed to the wave of sexual violence against women.
Key recommendations include police and judicial reforms, an end to intrusive testing of rape victims, heavier sentences for some crimes as well as new offences to cover stalking and marital rape.
"Failure of good governance is the obvious root cause for the current unsafe environment, eroding the rule of law and not the want of knee-jerk legislation," Mr Verma said.
"It is a landmark," said Meenakshi Lekhi, a lawyer, activist and opposition politician. But Ms Lekhi and many others pointed out that most of the recommendations had already been made several times before.
Anil Bairwal, of the Association for Democratic Reforms campaign group, said: "There have been so many reports before. Little of this is new. Most is what a government should already be doing. The key thing is to do something with the recommendations."
Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research and a prominent women's rights activist, said she doubted the will to implement any reforms. "The key ministries and the police sent low-level clerks to the commission's hearings. What signal does that send? The government may act on the easiest recommendations but nothing more," she said.
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