Violence against women in India: within the system of inequality

Overview

In India, more than 80 women are raped every day. The figure could be much higher. Because in most cases, the crime goes unreported, whether due to shame, fear of the perpetrator, or distrust of the police and the justice system. In the west of the country, in the prosperous and conservative state of Gujarat, the story of Kinjal, now 17, speaks of an India where rape is seemingly considered a "minor offense." Three years ago, the young woman, who belongs to the Dalit community, the "untouchables" at the bottom of the caste system, was raped by the son of a landowner from a higher caste. To cover up the matter, the rapist's family offered Kinjal's parents land and €100,000, a fortune. But Kinjal's father rejected the offer and decided to take the case to court. An act of rare courage and, at the same time, an affront to the upper castes.