Datanomics: Rise in sexual violence against Dalit women raises alarm

The alleged gang-rape of a minor Dalit girl in Lucknow has yet again trained the spotlight on the growing incidents of violence against females of the community. In 2023, the share of rape incidents against Scheduled Castes (SCs) women in overall incidents was over 14 per cent. Overall, 57,766 cases of atrocities against the SCs were reported in 2023, the highest in the last three decades. 

 

The total number of rape cases against SC women has shown a worrying upward trend over the years from 2,541 cases in 2016 to 4,214 cases in 2023. The share of rape incidents against SCs in total rape cases in India has more than doubled from 2016 to 2023. 

 

Cases of sexual violence -- which included rape, assault on adult women with intent to outrage their modesty, and cases under the POCSO Act provisions etc.-- together accounted for over 95 per cent of the crimes committed against SC women in India in 2023. 

 

Nearly one out of seven women aged 18-29 in the world had experienced sexual violence before turning 18. South Asia had the lowest such share at 9 per cent, although the low figures may reflect a lack of reporting. India had a share of 1.2 per cent, according to the National Family Health Survey 2019-21 data.