Almost ten years ago, Jyoti Singh’s brutal gangrape and murder in the heart of New Delhi in December 2012 received an inordinate amount of media attention and coverag

DEVELOPMENT is about protection of human rights of the concerned populations. It pre-supposes active participation of the populace in the decisionmaking processes while social justice remains one of the most important and cherished goals of development.

The sad truth is that society in general tends to judge the rape victim, not the rapists. It is she who has to hide her face in shame, not the criminals. And those who are shocked by it believe rape is a closet issue best kept locked in the social cupboard.

THE United Nations Commission on the Status of Women defines violence against women to include "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women..." [Economic and Social Council 1992].

This report examines the linkages between wife-beating and one health-related consequence for women, their experience of fetal and infant mortality.

Sexual abuse of children is an issue shrouded in ignorance and denial in our country. One of the chief reasons for this conspiracy of silence is the high value, almost idealization, of the family.