Activists condemn rape of five-year-old

New Delhi, April 19 (IANS) Women activists Friday strongly condemned the rape of a five-year-old girl in the capital, saying that with this crime, brutality had crossed all limits.

"There is a certain brigandage in the capital which has gone beyond alarming. Anyone can be picked up, irrespective of what time of the day it is. It is horrific, this incident," Akhila Sivadas of the Centre for Advocacy and Research told IANS.

Sivadas, commenting on the frequency of brutal rapes, said the situation was "critical".

Annie Raja, general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Women, said: "Until the government shows political and social will, no new legislation can ensure the security of women."

"Implementation of available laws in letter and spirit will send a strong signal to the culprits and this will deter them. There is no need for anti-rape legislation, as what we need is strong will to protect women," Raja added.

Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research, lamented that the law and order situation appears to be getting no better since the Dec 16, 2012, gang-rape and torture of the 23-year-old woman in Delhi.

"This incident shows what kind of brutes do we have in society. Society is also responsible for this. It has become full of perverts," she said.

The five-year-old girl was raped several times by her neighbour, who abducted her April 15 and held her hostage in his flat for over two days, depriving her of even water and food, according to the police.

The attacker, in his 30s, lived on the ground floor of a building in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar; the victim and her family were also residents of the same building.

The girl was rescued when members of her family heard her scream Wednesday evening, police said.

The girl's father told reporters that he had earlier approached the police with a complaint that his daughter was missing, but was driven away and later offered a bribe to keep mum.