What steps taken on awareness about sex crimes, asks Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court has asked the central and city governments about the steps taken by them to sensitise people and create mass awareness about laws dealing with sexual offences and punishments for them.

A division bench of Justice Kailash Gambhir and Justice Sunita Gupta expressed displeasure at the Centre and Delhi governments for not creating effective mass awareness about offences related to sexual abuse of women and children.

The bench said that despite mass protests after the Dec 16, 2012 gang rape and making amendments in the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, to make punishments for sex-related offences more stringent, "no deterrence can be seen to bring down the ratio of such sexual crimes being perpetuated on women and children".

"There is thus an urgent and imperative need to sensitise people through various mass awareness campaigns and social programmes to make them aware about the stringent laws and severity of the punishments provided for committing such ghastly crimes.

"This would ensure the confidence of women in the system and they would be in a better position to voice their concern."

The court in the recent order said it was "disappointed" to note that none of the government organisations have come forward with proper responses to the court's suggestions.

It asked the Delhi Lt. Governor, union home ministry, woman and child development ministry and ministry of information and broadcasting to file an affidavit by May 21 spelling out what steps have been taken "to create mass awareness programmes through various means of communication".

The court's observation came while hearing an appeal of a man who raped his minor daughter six years ago and was given a stiff sentence.

In March 2014, the high court reduced the sentence to 10 years on the ground that he was a father to four children and sought a status report from various authorities.

The court had also given a few suggestions and asked the government to create awareness about the issue.

It had then directed the Delhi government to pay the victim compensation of Rs.3 lakh, the maximum amount possible under the Delhi Victims Compensation Scheme, 2011.

The girl, who was 12 years old at that time, had also alleged that her father raped her for over a year. The trial court had in April 2010 convicted the man and sentenced him to life imprisonment which was challenged by him before the high court.