I have also been involved in a case where the victim, who was raped by an acquaintance whom she had invited over thinking him as her friend, was able to escape the clutches of the perpetrator and in disgust, washed herself before she ran out to seek help from her neighbours. This led to no evidence being found that she was infact raped, leading to an acquittal of the perpetrator.

On the corollary, there are several type of cases where the “women centric” laws are grossly misutilised and are taken undue advantage of. I have been privy to cases where anti-rape laws and POCSO Act has been misutilised to seek an advantage in property disputes. I have also defended a case where a minor girl eloped with her major boyfriend to get married and have a child. However the husband/father was charged under provisions of IPC and POCSO. As some of the matters are sub-judice can’t divulge details

The crux of the matter is the laws enacted to prevent violence against women and children have now become a double edged sword. Though they are meant to protect the victims, they sometimes are taken advantage of for other malafide motives.

However, on this day that has been recognized as the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women, it is essential to take into perspective that not all cases are reported in the media, and not all case are given equal importance. The reality is that not all cases reach the media and not all cases are reported or highlighted, and in almost all cases where violence against women is involved, the victims themselves do not want media attention on their cases. We need to look at the deep rooted misconception in our society where it is believed that a woman has to be chaste and should not have been involved with any man, but the man can be involved in any number of women as he chooses. It’s a vicious cycle, and has to be broken. The innate mindset needs to change to bring about a change in the larger scheme of ending violence against women.