Over 12,000 women raped in last 8 years in Assam

The atrocities against women were attributed to gender discrimination.

Guwahati:  Over 12,000 women have been raped in the last eight years in Assam, official figures reveal.

Between 2005 and May 2013, at least 12,857 women were raped while 59 were killed after the rape, said state home department officials.

Of the 8,181 rape cases registered, 76 per cent were acted upon and 12,216 people were arrested for the crime, officials said.

But crime against women in the state is not limited to rape, with torture for dowry claiming 1,069 lives.

Officials said 1,671 people were arrested for cases related to dowry torture and death.

Another 66 women became victims of witch hunting and 408 persons were arrested in the 55 cases registered against such crimes.

However, officials said deaths due to witch-hunting had come down to 14 in 2012 from 29 in the previous year, thanks to various preventive measures and awareness programs undertaken by the government.

The atrocities against women were attributed to gender discrimination, social and familial tensions, poverty, lack of job opportunities, rising population and insufficient manpower with law-enforcement agencies.

Thousands of women have been abducted in the past few years in Assam.

Of the 19,902 cases of abduction of women registered, 14,488 were related to marriage.

A total of 9,032 people were arrested on abduction charges and 113 of them were jailed for the crime, officials said.

Source: Hindustan Times