How safe is Delhi for women?

Pankaj Sharma/iamin

It has been three years since a young physiotherapy student was brutally gangraped in the heart of national capital on December 16, often remembered as 'Black Day'. The incident that shook the world was also a grim reminder of how women do not feel safe in the Delhi streets.

Three years on, as iamin reviews the crime statistics, not much has changed for lakhs of women residing in Delhi. In fact, rape cases have gone up, according to figures revealed by Delhi Police.

Post December 16 incident, 100 gangrapes have been reported annually in the city. While 116 such cases were registered in 2013, in 2014 the number stood at 117. This year, till October 31, 98 gangraped cases have been reported to Delhi Police. In last three years, over 700 persons have been arrested by Delhi Police in gangrape cases.

Meanwhile, as far as rape cases are concerned, 116 such cases were registered in Delhi in 2012; while in 2013 and 2014, the number of cases increased to 1,636 and 2,166 respectively. In current year till October 31, 1,856 such cases have been reported.

A jump has also been observed in the number of molestation cases since the incident rocked the city. According to the Delhi Police data, the number of such cases which stood at 727 in 2012 jumped to 3,515 and 4,322 in the year 2013 and 2014 respectively. Till October 31, this year, 4,626 such cases have been registered with Delhi Police. This is the highest number of cases in last 15 years.

The data also reveals that 4,027 cases of women abduction have been registered in the year 2014. In 2015, till October 31, 3,690 such cases have already registered.

The statitics that might put Delhiites to shame can also suggest that an increased awareness among women about sexual harassment is prompting more and more victims to report their complaints.