Rape issues around the world

Picture this scenario: You're a woman and just need to run out quickly to do some errands, but this quick trip is not going to be that easy. Every second you're out, you need to stay constantly aware and be on guard.

“Why?” you ask. “I'm in a public area and it's the middle of the day — what could happen to me?” Well, here in Canada, women might be able to step out of their homes and feel safe, but women in other parts of the world do not know this luxury.

A May 2013 study out of Beijing interviewed more than 10,000 men and 2,000 women from six countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka. This study, released by the United Nations on Gender-Based Violence and Research, found one in two men reported using physical or sexual violence against an intimate partner, one in four reported having raped a woman and one in 25 admitted to having participated in gang rape.

New Delhi is home to about 16 million people and has the highest number of sex crimes among India's megacities. A survey by United Nations Women found 95 per cent of females in New Delhi said they felt unsafe in public places.

Official figures show that 228,650 violent crimes recorded last year were against women. Delhi has been dubbed the rape capital of India, with an incident occurring on average every 18 hours and some other form of sexual attack every 14 hours.

On December 16, 2012, a 23- year-old student and her male friend in New Delhi were taking a bus back home from the movies when she was beaten with an iron rod then gang-raped by seven men, including the bus driver. She was pronounced dead later in the hospital. Four months later, a five-year-old girl in New Delhi was raped, assaulted, and then confined in a room for two days.

Both these cases brought international attention to India and pushed authorities to create stricter laws. The national outcry caused widespread unrest with thousands of protesters marching around government buildings and riots demanding officials step in and crack down harder on criminals for prosecution and prevention on sexual assault. These protests inspired women from Egypt, Somalia and Mumbai to march against sexual assault and also meet with leaders to end this rape culture for good.

Who is too blame, though? Some say it is the police, who have been reportedly ignoring women's cries for help and telling them they deserve to be raped if they dress provocatively. One of New Delhi's police chiefs put the blame on the 23-year-old rape victim, saying she shouldn't have been out after dark. Others just think it is deep-rooted into the culture and this kind of behaviour is acceptable.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for changes in attitudes toward women in India, where there has been a fierce debate since the New Delhi gang rape about the mistreatment of women.

“We have to move the focus off the victim,” Singh was quoted by CNN in January. “The safety and security of women is of the highest concern to our government.”

Women often do not report sexualized violence because they know that, at least in India, only three of every 100 men accused of rape will ever spend a day in jail.

Rape is not a problem that affects only women: it affects families, communities and entire cultures.

“The gruesome assault on these girls reminds us once again of the need to work collectively to root out this sort of depravity from our society,” said Singh. “I urge Indian society to look within and work to root out the evil of rape and other such crimes from our midst.”

Culture is hard to change, but it is not impossible. Change might take a few generations, but it can happen. A culture where all countries treat women as equals is not an impossible goal to reach.

Experts say working with young citizens is the best way to turn around this problem. Teaching children how to treat women as equals will not only create a safer society, but a happier society, which will pay off and be prosperous in their future.