A symbolic picture.
New Delhi / Chandigarh, March 19, 2013: Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Member Parliament from Bathinda today said that Anti-Rape Bill was just a first step in the journey of 1000 miles and there was a dire need to do everything possible to ensure the safety and security of country’s women within and outside their homes.
Welcoming the Anti-Rape Bill passed in Lok Sabha, Badal said that there was lot of things to be done to maintain dignity of women besides securing and safeguarding them from various crime fallen in the category of Crime against Women. Badal condemning the horrific incident of rape in the National Capital on December 16, 2012 said that the law must be implemented in true spirit to avoid such crimes in future and the requisite seriousness in these cases should be brought.
Describing the sections of bill, Badal said that there was nothing in the definition of rape in section 375 of the IPC, which mentions about Physically Challenged, mentally retarded, handicapped women and girls, while this section of the society have no voice. She said that it has come to fore that 97 percent rapes were done by the people known to them and these women facing such horrific crimes within their families. She demanded the safety and security of this section must be ensured.
Talking about Section 370 of the IPC about trafficking, Badal said that something must be mentioned in this bill about those women, who had been pushed into flesh trade by their husbands besides ensuring the safety to the adopted children and women being pushed into this trade.
Ridiculing the Union Government for adopting pick and choose in the suggestions from the Justice Verma Committee, Badal said that this was the sad part that Union government took only those suggestions whatever they wanted by extending disregard to the rest ones. She also said that after December 16, 2012 there were 40 more cases of rape taken place in the National Capital, which reflects the seriousness of the government in implementing the laws in this regard.