India moves to pass laws increasing rape penalties

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In light of a brutal gang rape of a medical student that shocked the world and threw India’s epidemic of sexual violence into the spotlight, the Indian government introduced legislation to increase the penalties for those convicted of rape and other sexual assault and harassment crimes. The legislation has been passed in the lower house of parliament, despite a low turnout of members, and is now heading to the upper house to be debated and voted on.

Should the new law be passed, the minimum sentence for gang rape, rape of a minor, rape by policemen or a person in authority will be doubled to 20 years and can be extended to life without parole. The law would also allow the death penalty if the victim dies or is left in a vegetative state as a result of the rape. “This is just a first step in a journey of 1,000 miles,” Harsimrat Kaur Badal, a female MP from the regional Shiromani Akali Dal party.

“The new law is a major gain for us. There are many firsts in this,” said Kavita Krishnan, a women’s rights activist who had led several anti-rape demonstrations in the capital. “It does not address 100 percent of all that we demanded, but we don’t want to delay or deny what we have got in order to wait for that perfect law.”

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