The brutal murder of a young doctor in India has shocked the entire country. The case once again brings into focus the deep-rooted issues of violence against women and the persistence of struggles.
The case of the rape and murder of a practicing doctor has created a sensation in India. Recently, thousands of doctors and women’s groups protested in various parts of the country, complaining of lack of protection for health workers and women who work at night.
The struggle has now reached a new dimension: Doctors have called for a strike. On Saturday, doctors across the country want to stop work for 24 hours. However, the Indian Medical Association said emergency services should not be affected. Demonstrators are demanding safer working conditions and punishment for criminals.
Anger escalates into nationwide outrage
Police found the 31-year-old doctor’s body on August 9 in a conference room at his hospital in the megacity of Kolkata. The woman is said to have slept there after a long shift. There were multiple injuries on her body and an autopsy showed signs of sexual violence. Police have arrested one suspect so far.
In the days after the body was found, anger escalated into nationwide outrage. In recent days, thousands of doctors and paramedical staff have stopped working in public hospitals and demanded safer working conditions.
A new one every quarter hour Rape case
The case draws attention to two problems in the country. On the one hand, doctors experience repeated violence in the workplace. There are increasing reports of attacks by relatives – especially when patients are dying. According to a 2019 study by the Indian Medical Association, 75 percent of medical professionals have experienced threats or physical attacks.
On the other hand, violence against women is widespread in India. According to official data, a new case of rape is registered every quarter of an hour in the country. As women’s rights activists have repeatedly asserted, the actual number is likely to be significantly higher. But the stigma is so great that many victims prefer to remain silent. One reason may be social.
Thousands of female fetuses are aborted every year, girls are less likely than boys to go to school, and daughters are often a financial burden on families – they often have to pay a large dowry when they marry, although this is officially prohibited.
A case of twelve years ago
However, particularly brutal cases of rape have come to public attention – especially since the gang-rape of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in the capital, New Delhi, twelve years ago. She later died in hospital. There were also mass protests, which led to the tightening of laws.
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