In my interactions with Indian migrant women in countries such as Japan and Germany, a common theme arises: They feel safer in these countries than in India.
As an Indian woman, I am proud of my country’s diverse cultures and its emergence as a powerful economic force. However, I cannot ignore the persistent and deep-rooted problem of violence against women that plagues my society.
In 2022, India recorded 445,256 cases of crimes against women, a 4% increase from the previous year, according to its crime records bureau. That translates to 51 crimes every hour — and these are just the ones that were reported. Rape cases made up 7% of the total and other crimes included “husband or relative ... subjecting (woman) to cruelty,” accounting for 31%, kidnapping and abduction, 19%, and “assault on ... woman with intent to outrage her modesty,” 19%.