End Rape in India: BRAC Fight for Protection and Justice

1. Introduction: The Urgency of Ending Rape
In homes, streets, workplaces, and public places across India, a terrible crime continues to destroy lives and break families. Rape—one of the most brutal crimes against women and children—continues to harm tens of thousands of people every year. According to the National Crime Records Bureau’s latest Crime in India 2023 report, 29,670 rape cases were recorded across India in 2023, showing a decrease from 31,516 cases in 2022 and 31,677 cases in 2021. This means that on average, 81 women and girls report rape every single day in India, though experts believe actual numbers are much higher due to widespread underreporting.

Each number represents a person whose life changed in moments of terror and violence. A young woman walking home from work is attacked by someone she trusted. A girl is violated by a family member who should have protected her. A woman faces violence from her husband after refusing his demands. A college student is assaulted by someone who promised marriage. These attacks cause permanent physical harm, deep emotional wounds, destroyed futures, and lasting trauma that affects survivors, their families, and entire communities for years.

The crisis affects women and girls most severely. Research shows that 89% of rape survivors knew their attackers—they were relatives, neighbors, friends, employers, or partners. This reveals that women face danger not from strangers in dark alleys, but in their own homes, families, and communities where they should be safest. Among metropolitan cities, Delhi recorded the highest number with 14,158 crimes against women in 2023, while Rajasthan reported the highest number of rape cases among states with 5,194 cases in 2023 (with some reports citing 5,078), followed by Uttar Pradesh with 3,556 cases and Madhya Pradesh with 2,979 cases.

The reasons behind these attacks reveal deep problems in how society views women. Men rape to show power and control over women, to punish women for refusing relationships or marriage proposals, to respond to rejection, and because they believe women are their property. According to police data from Delhi, 44% of rape victims identified the accused as a relative or family member. This shows the crime happens where women live, work, and seek safety, making trust and security nearly impossible.

The harm extends far beyond physical injuries. Survivors face years of trauma including depression, fear, shame, and loss of hope. Many lose education opportunities when families pull them out of school. They struggle to find work because employers discriminate. Marriage prospects disappear because society blames victims. Families bear crushing costs of medical treatment and legal battles that can stretch across years. Children who witness attacks or lose mothers to violence suffer permanent emotional damage that affects their entire lives.

Despite strong laws passed after the 2012 Nirbhaya case—which shocked the nation and led to major legal reforms including the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 2013—rape continues at alarming rates. The gap between laws on paper and protection in reality remains wide. Cases move slowly through courts with average trials stretching 5-10 years, leaving survivors waiting for justice while reliving trauma. The conviction rate stands at only 27.2% in 2022, meaning most accused escape punishment. Survivors struggle to access compensation promised by law, with many never receiving the support they desperately need.

2. Understanding the Issue: The Scope and Impact of Rape
Rape in India represents a specific form of violence designed to control, harm, and destroy women’s lives, futures, and dignity. Understanding the full scope requires examining who gets affected, why attacks happen, where they occur most, what survivors endure, and the deep impact on individuals, families, and communities.

The Scale of the Crisis: Current Statistics and Trends
The data on rape reveals deeply troubling patterns that demand urgent action.

Recent Numbers: The National Crime Records Bureau documented 29,670 rape cases in 2023, showing a decrease of 5.9% from 31,516 cases in 2022 and 31,677cases in 2021. The 2023 figures recorded 29,909 total victims, with 10,703 cases pending from previous years. Looking at longer periods, India recorded 32,033cases in 2019, 33,356 in 2018, and 32,559 in 2017. Despite the recent decrease, around 29,000-32,000 cases continue to be reported annually.
Underreporting Crisis: These official numbers represent only a small portion of actual rapes happening across India. Many cases go unreported because families fear social shame and community rejection, victims lack knowledge of their rights and available support, police sometimes refuse to register complaints or pressure families to stay quiet, and survivors lack strength to pursue justice while fighting to survive trauma. Experts estimate that for every rape reported, several others remain hidden, meaning actual numbers could be double or triple official statistics.
Gender Breakdown: The overwhelming majority of victims are women and girls, with men as perpetrators in most cases. Current laws define rape as a crime where male offenders attack female victims, though child protection laws cover both genders. This makes rape clearly a crime rooted in gender-based violence and male control over women.
Known Perpetrator Problem: In 2022, out of 31,677 rape cases, 28,147 cases (89%) were committed by persons known to the victim. According to Delhi Police data, 44% of rape victims identified accused as relatives or family members. This reveals that women face greatest danger from those closest to them—fathers, brothers, uncles, husbands, boyfriends, neighbors, employers, and friends.
Age Patterns: Among rape survivors in 2023, victims included both minors and adults, with 852 victims (2.85% of total 29,909 victims) being minors below 18years—the legal age of consent. This included 18 victims under 6 years, 87 between6-12 years, 284 between 12-16 years, and 463 between 16-18 years. The majority of cases (28,821) involved women aged 18 and above. Young women between ages 16and 35 face highest risk, often targeted when building education, careers, or considering marriage—times when they make independent choices that some men feel entitled to control.
Judicial Backlog Crisis: With over 31,000 new rape cases reported annually but conviction rates at only 27.2%, massive numbers of cases remain pending in courts. Average rape trials stretch 5-10 years, and in some rural areas even longer, meaning survivors wait years for justice while perpetrators roam free.

Geographic Distribution and High-Risk States
Rape cases are not spread evenly across India, with certain states showing much higher rates.

Rajasthan: Leads the nation with 5,194 rape cases in 2023 (some reports cite5,078), consistently recording the highest numbers. This translates to an average of 14 rape cases every single day in Rajasthan alone. Between 2014-2022, Rajasthan accounted for almost 14% of all rape cases (41,742) reported across the country, making it the state with highest rape burden. The state also recorded 6,337 cases in2021, showing consistently high numbers year after year.
Uttar Pradesh: Recorded 3,556 rape cases in 2023, taking second position. During2014-2022, UP reported more than 10% of all cases (31,869), placing it third highest over this period. In terms of overall crimes against women, UP leads the nation with66,381 cases in 2023, the highest among all states.
Madhya Pradesh: Reported 2,979 rape cases in 2023, taking third position. Between 2014-2022, MP accounted for more than 12% of cases (36,144), placing it second highest over this longer period. The state recorded 2,947 rape cases in2021.
Other High-Risk States: Maharashtra recorded 2,932 rape cases in 2023 (fourth position), followed by Haryana with 1,772 cases. In overall crimes against women, Maharashtra reported 47,101 cases in 2023 (second nationally), followed by Rajasthan with 45,450 cases (third nationally), West Bengal with 34,691 cases, and Madhya Pradesh with 32,342 cases. Together, the top five states account for more than 50% of all rape cases reported across the country.
Urban Centers: Among metropolitan cities, Delhi recorded 14,158 crimes against women in 2023, the highest among metros. Mumbai saw 6,176 cases with a high80.6% chargesheet rate, while Bangalore reported 3,924 cases. Delhi also had highest rates of complaints to National Commission for Women with 135 complaints in2018. Other cities reporting high numbers include Jaipur, Kolkata, and Hyderabad.

Profile of Victims and Affected Communities
Not everyone faces equal risk of rape, with certain groups showing higher vulnerability.

Women and Girls: Face the greatest risk, comprising the vast majority of victims. Young women asserting independence in education, career, or marriage choices face particular vulnerability because their independence threatens traditional male control.
Rural and Semi-Urban Areas: While rapes happen everywhere, rural and semi-urban areas show higher rates relative to population, often because traditional attitudes about women’s roles are stronger, access to legal protection is less, and women have fewer resources to escape dangerous situations or report crimes.
Lower Economic Status: While rape crosses all economic lines, women from families with less money and education face higher risk because they have fewer resources to escape threats, less ability to relocate when in danger, less access to legal help, and less power to demand police action.
Dalit and Lower Caste Women: Women from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes face increased vulnerability because caste-based power allows upper caste men to attack lower caste women with less fear of consequences, caste bias in police and courts makes justice harder to obtain, and economic dependence on upper caste employers creates situations where women cannot refuse or report.
Previous Victims of Domestic Violence: Women already experiencing violence from husbands or family members face increased risk of rape, as violence often increases in severity over time.

Causes and Motivations Behind Rape
Understanding why rape happens is essential to prevention.

Power and Control: The primary driver is men’s desire to show power and control over women. Rape functions as a tool to keep women in subordinate positions, enforce male authority, punish independence, and remind women that men control their bodies, choices, and futures.
Rejection of Relationships: When women refuse marriage proposals, reject romantic advances, or end relationships, some men respond with rape to punish the rejection, destroy her future prospects with other men, and assert that if he cannot have her, he will ensure no one else wants her.
False Promise of Marriage: A significant number of cases involve men having relationships with women by promising marriage, then raping them and refusing to marry. Current law treats sex on false promise of marriage as rape when the promise was made to deceive from the beginning.
Marital Rape and Dowry Disputes: Husbands rape wives to enforce obedience, punish resistance to demands, resolve dowry disputes, or simply because they believe marriage gives them right to sex regardless of consent. However, Indian law currently does not recognize marital rape as a crime, leaving married women without legal protection.
Caste-Based Violence: Men from dominant castes rape women from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes to enforce caste hierarchy, punish families who challenge traditional power, take revenge for perceived insults, and show sexual domination as part of caste-based control.
Victim Blaming Culture: Society often asks what the woman did to provoke attack, why she went out alone, what she wore, or whether she led him on. This culture of blaming victims rather than criminals allows men to feel their actions are justified responses to women’s behavior rather than crimes.

The Devastating Physical Impact on Survivors
The physical harm from rape varies but often includes serious injuries and long-term health problems.

Immediate Injuries: Rape causes injuries to sexual organs, internal bleeding, tears and damage to vaginal and anal tissues, broken bones when force is used, head injuries from beating during attack, and cuts and bruises across the body.
Sexual and Reproductive Health: Survivors face unwanted pregnancies requiring abortion or forcing motherhood from rape, sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS, damage to reproductive organs that may prevent future pregnancy, chronic pain in pelvic region, and ongoing gynecological problems requiring treatment for years.
Medical Treatment Needs: Survivors need immediate emergency care including examination and evidence collection for prosecution, pregnancy prevention medication, treatment for injuries and infections, and later treatment for complications, pregnancies, and long-term health problems.
Gang Rape Violence: Cases involving multiple perpetrators cause even more severe physical damage because multiple attacks increase injury severity, longer duration of attack causes more trauma, and perpetrators often compete to show dominance through increased violence.

Psychological and Emotional Trauma
The mental health impact is profound, often lasting longer than physical injuries.

Depression and Suicidal Thoughts: Survivors experience severe depression from trauma, loss of control over their bodies, social rejection, and destroyed futures. Many develop suicidal thoughts, with some attempting or completing suicide because the pain and shame feel unbearable.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The traumatic event causes PTSD with flashbacks where survivors relive the attack repeatedly, nightmares preventing sleep, panic attacks triggered by reminders, constant fear and anxiety, and inability to function normally in daily life.
Shame and Loss of Identity: When society values women primarily for sexual purity, rape destroys survivors’ sense of worth. They internalize society’s rejection, feel dirty or damaged, believe they lost all value, and struggle to see themselves as worthy of love, respect, or a future.
Trust Destruction: When perpetrators are known to victims—family members, friends, partners—it destroys ability to trust anyone. Survivors become isolated, unable to form relationships, suspicious of all men, and sometimes even unable to trust female family members who may have blamed them.
Fear and Anxiety: Survivors develop intense fear of leaving home, being alone, seeing the perpetrator or his family, and facing community judgment. This fear prevents them from rebuilding lives, pursuing education or work, and participating in normal activities.

Social and Economic Impact on Families and Communities
The effects extend far beyond individual survivors, damaging entire families and communities.

Social Stigma and Isolation: Survivors face severe social stigma with neighbors avoiding contact, friends abandoning them, community members gossiping and blaming, marriage prospects disappearing, and entire families facing rejection by association.
Family Financial Crisis: Families spend savings on medical treatment, legal fees for prosecution, bribes to police and court officials to move cases forward, and compensation to perpetrators’ families if pressured to settle. Loss of income when survivors cannot work or study compounds financial disaster.
Marriage and Family Breakdown: Unmarried survivors struggle to find marriage partners, as most families reject women who have been raped. Married survivors often face divorce when husbands abandon them. Some families force survivors into quick marriages to hide the rape, trapping them in unwanted relationships.
Children Affected: When mothers are raped, children lose care and support. They witness trauma that affects their mental health. Education suffers when families can no longer afford school fees. Children face stigma and discrimination when community learns about their mother’s assault.
Impact on All Women: When women in a community see what happens to rape survivors—the violence, social rejection, and lack of justice—it creates fear that limits all women’s choices. Rape functions as a tool of control affecting not just victims but all women who hear about attacks and adjust their behavior to try staying safe.

Your donation to BRAC helps address this crisis by providing immediate emergency care that minimizes harm, long-term medical treatment, psychological counseling that treats trauma, legal aid that brings criminals to justice, livelihood programs that help survivors and families achieve independence, and prevention campaigns that stop attacks before they happen.

3. Legal Framework: Laws and Policies Protecting Against Rape
India has developed a comprehensive legal framework to prevent rape, punish perpetrators, and support survivors. This framework combines criminal law provisions, constitutional protections, compensation schemes, and Supreme Court directives. However, significant gaps between law and enforcement persist.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON INDIAN CRIMINAL LAW (AS OF 2025):
On July 1, 2024, India implemented a new set of criminal laws. All criminal legal references in this article are based on these current laws:

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which replaces the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, which replaces the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023, which replaces the Indian Evidence Act.
All references to the old IPC and CrPC are no longer valid for current legal matters.

Constitutional Protections: The Foundation
The Indian Constitution provides fundamental protections that form the basis for laws against rape.

Article 21 – Right to Life and Personal Liberty: Guarantees every person the right to life and personal liberty, which the Supreme Court has understood to include the right to live with dignity, safety, bodily autonomy, and freedom from violence. This article provides the constitutional foundation for protecting citizens from rape.
Article 14 – Equality Before Law: Guarantees equality before law and equal protection of laws, requiring the state to protect all citizens equally from violence regardless of gender, caste, religion, or economic status, preventing discrimination in law enforcement.
Article 15 – Prohibition of Discrimination: Prohibits discrimination on grounds including sex, requiring special measures to protect women and children from gender-based violence like rape.
Article 39(e) and (f) – Directive Principles: Direct state policy to ensure that citizens’ health and strength are not abused and that citizens are protected in their dignity and rights, requiring government action to prevent rape and support survivors.

Criminal Law Provisions: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023
The new criminal code contains specific provisions addressing rape with detailed punishments.

Section 63 – Definition of Rape:
This foundational section defines what constitutes rape under Indian law, replacing the old IPC Section 375. Under Section 63, a man is said to commit rape if he does any of the following acts with a woman against her will, without her consent, or with consent obtained by putting her or any person in fear of death or hurt:

A man is said to commit rape if he does any of four specific acts with a woman: (a) penetrates his penis into her vagina, mouth, urethra or anus, or makes her do so with him or any other person, (b) inserts any object or body part other than penis into her vagina, urethra or anus, or makes her do so with him or any other person, (c) manipulates any part of her body so as to cause penetration into the vagina, urethra, anus or any part of body, or makes her do so with him or any other person, or (d) applies his mouth to her vagina, anus, urethra or makes her do so with him or any other person.

These acts constitute rape when done under any of seven circumstances: (1) against her will, (2) without her consent, (3) with consent obtained by putting her or any person in fear of death or hurt, (4) with consent when she believes he is her husband but he is not, (5) with consent when she is unable to understand the nature and consequences due to mental illness or intoxication, (6) with or without consent when she is under eighteen years of age, or (7) when she is unable to communicate consent.

The definition explicitly clarifies that penetration means penetration to any extent, and lack of physical resistance is not consent. The law also clarifies that consent means unequivocal voluntary agreement when the woman by words, gestures or any form of verbal or non-verbal communication, communicates willingness to participate in the specific sexual act. Consent cannot be inferred from silence or lack of physical resistance, and past sexual experience cannot be assumed as consent for future acts.

Section 64 – Punishment for Rape:
This section defines and punishes rape. Under Section 64(1), whoever commits rape shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than ten years but which may extend to imprisonment for life, which means imprisonment for the remainder of that person’s natural life, and shall also be liable to fine.

Under Section 64(2), when rape is committed under specific circumstances, punishment is rigorous imprisonment for a term not less than ten years but which may extend to imprisonment for life, which shall mean imprisonment for the remainder of that person’s natural life, and with fine. These circumstances include: (a) being a police officer who commits rape within police station limits or in his custody, (b) being a public servant who commits rape on woman in his custody, (c) being on management or staff of jail or other institution where woman is kept, (d) being on management or staff of hospital where woman is a patient, (e) being a relative, guardian or teacher of the woman, (f) being in a position of trust or authority towards the woman, (g) when woman is pregnant, (h) when woman is under eighteen years of age, (i) when woman is unable to communicate consent, or (j) where woman is unable to offer resistance due to physical or mental disability.

The law specifies that any fine imposed shall be just and reasonable to meet the medical expenses and rehabilitation of the victim, and shall be paid to the victim.

Section 65 – Punishment for Rape in Certain Cases:
This section covers rape of minors with enhanced punishment. Under Section 65(1), whoever commits rape on a woman under sixteen years of age shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than twenty years but which may extend to imprisonment for life, which means imprisonment for the remainder of that person’s natural life, and shall also be liable to fine.

Under Section 65(2), whoever commits rape on a woman under twelve years of age shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than twenty years but which may extend to imprisonment for life, which means imprisonment for the remainder of that person’s natural life, and shall also be liable to fine, or with death.

Section 66 – Punishment for Causing Death or Resulting in Persistent Vegetative State:
When rape causes the victim’s death or leaves her in persistent vegetative state, punishment is rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than twenty years but which may extend to imprisonment for life, which means imprisonment for remainder of natural life, or with death.

Section 70 – Gang Rape:
This section punishes gang rape with severe penalties. Under Section 70(1), where a woman is raped by one or more persons constituting a group or acting together in furtherance of common intention, each person shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than twenty years but which may extend to imprisonment for life, which means imprisonment for remainder of natural life, and with fine. The fine shall be just and reasonable to meet medical expenses and rehabilitation of the victim and shall be paid to victim.

Under Section 70(2), where a woman under eighteen years of age is gang raped, each person shall be punished with imprisonment for life, which means imprisonment for remainder of natural life, and with fine, or with death.

Section 71 – Punishment for Repeat Offenders:
If a person previously convicted under Section 64, 65, 66, or 70 commits the same offence again, he shall be punished with imprisonment for life which shall mean imprisonment for remainder of that person’s natural life, or with death.

Historical Development: Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2013
Understanding current laws requires knowing their history and the watershed moment that transformed India’s approach to rape.

Before 2013, rape laws were weaker with lower minimum sentences and narrower definitions. The definition covered only penile-vaginal penetration, excluding other forms of sexual assault. Marital rape was completely excluded. The brutal gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student (known as Nirbhaya) on December 16, 2012 in Delhi shocked the nation and triggered massive public protests demanding justice and legal reforms.

Following nationwide outrage and sustained protests, the government passed the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 2013, which brought sweeping changes including: widening the definition of rape to cover penetration of vagina, mouth, urethra, or anus with penis or any object, creating minimum sentence of 10 years extendable to life, prescribing death penalty for cases causing death or vegetative state, establishing fast-track courts for rape trials, expanding age of consent from 16 to 18 years, creating new offences of stalking and voyeurism, and mandating medical treatment for survivors without police report.

Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012
The POCSO Act provides additional protection specifically for children.

This Act protects all children below 18 years from sexual assault, sexual harassment, and pornography. Unlike regular rape laws, POCSO is gender neutral, protecting both boys and girls. The Act creates child-friendly procedures for reporting, recording evidence, and conducting trials. Special courts handle POCSO cases with special public prosecutors. The law mandates completion of investigation within two months and trial within one year.

Under POCSO, penetrative sexual assault (equivalent to rape) of a child carries minimum punishment of ten years extendable to life imprisonment with fine. Aggravated penetrative sexual assault (involving police officers, relatives, persons in authority, or causing grievous hurt) carries minimum punishment of twenty years extendable to life or death.

Landmark Supreme Court Judgment: Nirbhaya Case (2017)
The Supreme Court’s judgment in Mukesh and Others vs. State of NCT of Delhi became a landmark in India’s fight against rape.

The case involved the brutal gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus in Delhi on December 16, 2012. Six men, including the bus driver, raped her and beat her male friend. She suffered terrible injuries including damage to intestines and genitals, and died thirteen days later in Singapore hospital where government sent her for treatment.

The trial court convicted four adult accused (one was juvenile and one died during trial) and sentenced them to death. They appealed to Delhi High Court, which confirmed death sentence. They then appealed to Supreme Court, which in its judgment delivered in May 2017 upheld the death penalty. The Supreme Court held that this fell into the “rarest of rare” category deserving death penalty because of the brutal nature of attack, the intention to destroy the victim, the lack of any remorse, and the need to send a message that such crimes will not be tolerated.

The four convicted men were hanged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail on March 20, 2020, after exhausting all legal remedies including review petitions and mercy petitions to the President.

State and Central Compensation Schemes
Multiple schemes exist to support rape survivors financially.

Central Victim Compensation Fund (CVCF): Established in 2015-16, the central government released Rs. 200 crores as one-time grant to all states and union territories to support victim compensation schemes. Under this scheme, minimum compensation of Rs. 3 lakh is prescribed for rape victims.
NALSA Compensation Scheme: Following Supreme Court directions in Nipun Saxena vs. Union of India (2018), the National Legal Services Authority prepared a comprehensive compensation scheme for women victims of sexual assault. The scheme prescribes minimum compensation of Rs. 3 lakh for rape, with higher amounts (up to Rs. 5-7 lakh) for aggravated cases, gang rape, or cases involving minors.
State Victim Compensation Schemes: All states have notified their own compensation schemes, with varying amounts. Haryana provides Rs. 25,000 as immediate relief and up to Rs. 6 lakh total compensation. Maharashtra’s scheme provides up to Rs. 10 lakh for severe cases. Delhi’s scheme provides Rs. 2-4 lakh depending on severity.
NALSA Legal Services: The National Legal Services Authority provides free legal aid to rape victims on priority basis for filing cases, pursuing compensation claims, and ensuring justice.

Enforcement Gaps and Challenges
Despite strong laws, implementation remains weak, creating serious gaps between legal protection and ground reality.

Low Conviction Rates: Despite over 31,000 reported rapes annually, conviction rate stands at only 27.2% in 2022. This means fewer than 3 out of 10 accused are convicted, while over 7 escape punishment. In metropolitan cities, conviction rates vary from 22.9% in Tamil Nadu to 33.5% in Delhi.
Massive Judicial Delays: Average rape trials stretch 5-10 years, with some taking even longer. In 2022, only a small fraction of pending cases were resolved, while thousands more were added to the backlog. With over 5 crore cases pending in Indian courts, rape cases face the same delays despite fast-track court provisions.
Compensation Not Reaching Survivors: While schemes promise Rs. 3-4 lakh minimum, research shows that most survivors never receive this money. In Maharashtra, out of 7,934 applications by rape victims, only 1,144 were accepted—not even 15% of applications. Those who do receive payment often wait 1-2 years and get only Rs. 30,000 instead of promised amounts.
Police Inaction and Bias: Despite laws requiring police to register FIRs immediately, survivors report that police discourage complaints, refuse to register FIRs, pressure families to settle matters privately, blame victims for attacks, and delay investigations that allow evidence to disappear and witnesses to be intimidated.
Weak Investigations: Over 60% of rape FIRs are filed weeks after the incident due to police apathy and social stigma. Forensic labs face significant backlogs, delaying DNA evidence and medical reports by months or years, severely weakening prosecution cases.
Victim Hostile Environment: Lack of witness protection allows perpetrators to threaten survivors and families, leading many to retract statements or become hostile witnesses. One-stop centers meant to provide integrated support mostly handle marital disputes rather than rape cases.

Donate to BRAC to fund our legal aid programs that help survivors navigate the complex legal system, ensure FIRs are registered and investigated properly, assist in compensation claims so survivors receive money they are entitled to, provide lawyers for prosecution support, file public interest litigation to strengthen enforcement, and advocate for policy reforms that close gaps between law and reality.

4. Challenges: Barriers to Eliminating Rape
Despite legal frameworks and growing awareness, eliminating rape faces serious challenges operating at social, economic, institutional, and cultural levels. These connected barriers create an environment where attacks continue and survivors struggle to find justice and support.

Social and Cultural Barriers
Deep-rooted attitudes and beliefs create an environment that enables rape and blames survivors.

Acceptance of Male Control Over Women: Society teaches that men have authority over women in families and communities. When women are seen as subordinate to men rather than equals, violence to enforce that control seems justified to many people. This makes preventing rape difficult because communities don’t always view it as completely unacceptable.
Honor and Shame Culture: In many communities, family honor depends on controlling women’s behavior, especially their sexuality. When women assert independence or are victims of rape, families and communities see this as bringing shame. Rather than supporting survivors, families sometimes hide attacks, pressure survivors into silence, or force quick marriages to restore honor.
Male Control Structures: Men hold authority over women in families, communities, and workplaces. When women challenge this authority by refusing marriages, seeking education, wanting jobs, or making independent choices, it threatens existing power. Rape reasserts male control and sends messages to other women to stay in traditional roles.
Victim Blaming: Survivors face blame for the attack. People ask what she did to provoke him, whether she led him on, why she went out alone, what she wore, or whether she resisted enough. This shifting of responsibility from criminal to victim allows society to avoid confronting real causes and protects perpetrators from full condemnation.
Social Stigma Against Survivors: Rather than supporting survivors, communities often isolate them. Neighbors avoid contact, friends distance themselves, marriage prospects disappear, and even family members sometimes reject survivors. People believe the survivor brings shame or bad luck. This isolation compounds trauma and prevents recovery.
Normalization of Violence: Media and popular culture sometimes portray male persistence despite female rejection as romantic rather than harassment. Songs and films show heroes continuing pursuit after women say no, teaching that women’s refusals should not be accepted and that persistence will win them over.

Economic and Practical Challenges
Economic factors and practical realities create barriers to prevention and justice.

Financial Cost of Justice: Pursuing prosecution requires money for lawyers, transportation to courts, bribes to move cases forward, and compensation to court staff. Poor families cannot afford these costs, leading many to give up pursuing justice.
Loss of Livelihood: Survivors who worked before rape often cannot return to jobs due to physical injuries, psychological trauma, or employer discrimination. This loss of income exactly when expenses increase for medical care and legal battles creates impossible financial situations.
Medical Treatment Costs: While government hospitals should provide free treatment, they often lack capacity or refuse admissions. Private treatment costs lakhs of rupees that most families cannot afford. Psychological counseling is rarely available and even more expensive.
Lack of Support Services: India lacks sufficient specialized services for rape survivors. Most support centers are in major cities, meaning survivors from rural areas cannot access help. Even existing centers lack trained counselors, psychologists, and proper facilities.
Economic Dependence: Many women depend economically on husbands, fathers, or male family members. When these same men are perpetrators or when families pressure survivors to stay silent, women cannot escape because they have nowhere to go and no income. This traps them in dangerous situations.

Institutional and Enforcement Failures
Government institutions and systems fail to protect women or deliver justice.

Weak Police Response: Despite laws requiring immediate FIR registration, police often discourage filing complaints, refuse to register cases, minimize seriousness of attacks, suggest settling matters privately, delay investigations allowing evidence to disappear, and sometimes demand bribes to investigate.
Judicial System Collapse: With over 5 crore pending cases in Indian courts, rape cases move extremely slowly. Average trials stretch 5-10 years despite fast-track court provisions. Survivors must appear repeatedly in court, reliving trauma each time, while waiting years for justice.
Low Conviction Rates: Even when cases reach trial, conviction rates remain very low at only 27.2%. This happens because investigations are poor, evidence is not collected properly, forensic reports are delayed, witnesses are intimidated into turning hostile, and perpetrators hire good lawyers while survivors cannot afford representation.
Compensation Scheme Failures: Getting compensation requires navigating complex processes across multiple government offices, submitting extensive documentation, and following up repeatedly. Many survivors give up. In Maharashtra, out of 7,934 rape victim applications, only 1,144 were accepted. Those who receive payment wait 1-2 years and get only Rs. 30,000 instead of promised Rs. 3-4 lakh.
Hospital Failures: Government hospitals that should provide free treatment sometimes refuse to admit rape victims, saying they lack capacity or expertise. Private hospitals demand payment survivors cannot afford. Medical examination procedures are often rough and insensitive, causing additional trauma.
Lack of Witness Protection: No effective witness protection system exists, allowing perpetrators and their families to threaten survivors, families, and witnesses. This leads many to retract statements or become hostile, collapsing prosecution cases.

Gender and Power Imbalances
Fundamental imbalances in power between men and women enable rape and prevent justice.

Male Sense of Ownership: Cultural messages teach men they have rights over women’s attention, time, and bodies. When women refuse, some men experience this as unacceptable challenge to their authority, leading to rage and desire for revenge. Rape satisfies both urge to punish and to destroy her value to others.
Women’s Limited Power: Women in many families and communities lack power to protect themselves. They cannot get police to act on threats, cannot leave home when in danger, cannot count on family support if attacked by relatives, and may face pressure not to report even when assaulted. This powerlessness makes them easy targets.
Education Gaps: Most women, especially in rural areas and from lower economic backgrounds, lack knowledge of their legal rights, available compensation, and resources to help them. This prevents them from accessing protection and justice even when systems exist.
Caste-Based Power: Dominant caste men attack scheduled caste and scheduled tribe women to enforce caste hierarchy. Police and courts, often staffed by upper castes, show bias in investigating and prosecuting such cases, allowing upper caste perpetrators to escape consequences.

Psychological and Recovery Barriers
Trauma responses and lack of mental health support prevent recovery and justice.

Trauma Response: The psychological shock and trauma of rape can prevent survivors from taking action. They may be too depressed to pursue complaints, too afraid to testify, too ashamed to seek help, or too overwhelmed to navigate complex systems. Without support, many survivors give up.
Lack of Mental Health Services: India has very few mental health professionals trained in treating trauma survivors. In rural areas and smaller cities, psychological counseling is essentially unavailable. Survivors struggle alone with depression, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts without professional help.
Social Pressure for Silence: Families sometimes pressure survivors not to report attacks to avoid social stigma, protect family reputation, or because perpetrators threaten more violence. This social pressure prevents many cases from being reported at all.
No Support Networks: Survivors often feel completely alone. They don’t know other survivors, have no peer support groups, and lack mentors who successfully recovered. This isolation makes the path forward seem impossible.

Your contribution to BRAC helps overcome these barriers by changing social attitudes through community education, strengthening enforcement through legal aid and prosecution support, providing comprehensive support services survivors desperately need, building survivor networks and peer support, and advocating for policy reforms that close gaps.

5. Solutions: Building a Rape-Free India
Eliminating rape requires a wide-ranging plan addressing prevention, immediate response, survivor support, system change, and social transformation. BRAC Global Social Foundation implements an integrated “Five Pillars of Protection” model based on evidence and experience working with survivors across India.

Pillar 1: Prevention and Community Awareness Programs
Preventing attacks before they happen is the most effective approach, saving lives and stopping trauma before it occurs.

Community Education and Awareness Campaigns:

Village and Neighborhood Outreach: We conduct intensive awareness campaigns in high-risk areas across Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana, and other states using street theater, posters, films, and community meetings to educate people about rape, legal consequences, and women’s rights.
School and College Programs: We implement education programs in schools and colleges teaching young people about consent and healthy relationships, respect for women’s choices and autonomy, handling rejection with maturity, gender equality and respect, and legal consequences of rape and sexual violence.
Women’s Groups: We empower women’s self-help groups to serve as community watchdogs, identify women at risk of violence, provide safe spaces for sharing threats, support each other in accessing police protection, and collectively resist violence against any woman.
Men and Boys Engagement: We conduct special sessions with men and boys addressing ideas about manhood and respect, handling rejection without violence, respecting women’s no as final answer, understanding consent and boundaries, and taking responsibility to prevent violence in their communities and families.
Religious and Community Leaders: We partner with respected religious leaders, village elders, and community figures to publicly condemn rape, preach messages of respect and women’s rights, use their moral authority to shift attitudes, and support survivors rather than stigmatizing them.
Media Partnerships: We work with local media including newspapers, radio, and cable TV to spread awareness messages, share survivor stories that build understanding, highlight legal consequences for perpetrators, and challenge myths that blame victims.

Early Warning and Threat Response Systems:

Community Reporting Networks: We establish networks where community members can confidentially report threats, suspicious behavior by known offenders, or men who have made threats to women, allowing early intervention before violence occurs.
Rapid Response Teams: When threats are reported, our teams immediately connect threatened women with police protection, help obtain court restraining orders, support temporary relocation if needed, and document threats for legal purposes.
School and Workplace Alert Systems: We work with schools and workplaces to create systems where women can report harassment and threats, receive immediate protection, and have perpetrators removed before violence escalates.
Family and Neighbor Intervention: When family members or neighbors hear threats, we provide support and training for intervention—talking to potential perpetrators, connecting them with counseling, and making clear the community will not tolerate violence.

Pillar 2: Immediate Emergency Response and Rescue
When rape occurs, rapid response minimizes additional harm and begins the path to healing and justice.

24/7 Rape Emergency Helpline:

Multi-Language Service: Our helpline operates in Hindi, English, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, and other regional languages, accessible via phone, WhatsApp, and our website at brac.in.
Crisis Response: Anyone who experienced or witnessed rape can call for immediate guidance on emergency medical care, evidence preservation for prosecution, police complaint filing, and accessing legal rights and compensation.
Family Support: We provide immediate support to families, helping them navigate emergency rooms, understand legal procedures, access resources, and support survivors emotionally rather than blame them.
Legal Documentation: We guide callers on preserving evidence including not bathing before medical examination, saving clothing worn during attack, documenting injuries through photographs, filing police complaints immediately, and protecting legal rights from first moments.
Counseling Support: Trained counselors provide initial psychological support to survivors and families during the crisis period, helping them cope with immediate trauma and understand the path forward.

Emergency Medical Coordination:

Hospital Network: We maintain relationships with government and private hospitals across India that have experience treating rape survivors, facilitating immediate admissions without bureaucratic delays.
Medical Examination Support: We accompany survivors to medical examinations, ensuring proper evidence collection, respectful treatment by medical staff, pregnancy prevention medication, treatment for injuries and infections, and documentation needed for prosecution.
Treatment Cost Coverage: When government hospitals refuse admission or lack capacity and private treatment is needed, we provide emergency funds to cover initial costs so survivors receive care without delay.
Specialist Coordination: We connect survivors with gynecologists, infectious disease specialists, and other doctors experienced in treating rape-related injuries and health problems.

Legal Support and Police Coordination:

FIR Registration Support: Our legal team accompanies survivors to police stations, ensures FIRs are registered properly with all relevant criminal sections, includes complete details of attack, and documents evidence thoroughly.
Evidence Collection: We help collect and preserve evidence including medical examination reports, photographs of injuries, witness statements, clothing and physical evidence, and any electronic evidence like messages or social media communications.
Police Liaison: We maintain relationships with police departments, facilitating proper investigation, rapid arrest of perpetrators, protection for survivors against threats and intimidation, and preventing police bias or demands for bribes.
Fast-Track Court Petitions: We file petitions requesting fast-track trial designation for rape cases, reducing delays and helping survivors get justice within reasonable time.

Pillar 3: Comprehensive Medical and Psychological Rehabilitation
Recovery requires long-term support addressing physical health, mental health, and social healing over months and years.

Medical Treatment and Ongoing Care:

Partnership with Medical Facilities: We partner with hospitals including government medical colleges, specialized gynecological centers, and private facilities that provide treatment at subsidized rates for survivors.
Treatment Funding: We provide funding for treatments not covered by government compensation including specialized surgeries, treatment for complications, long-term care for infections or reproductive damage, and medications for chronic conditions resulting from rape.
Reproductive Health Support: We ensure survivors have access to abortion services if pregnancy results from rape, treatment for sexually transmitted infections including HIV, gynecological care for injuries and complications, and family planning counseling for future reproductive health.
Testing and Prevention: We provide immediate testing for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy, post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV infection, and follow-up testing to ensure health.

Psychological Healing and Mental Health Support:

Individual Trauma Counseling: Our trained psychologists provide one-on-one counseling using trauma-informed approaches that help survivors process their experiences, manage depression and anxiety, develop healthy coping strategies, and rebuild sense of safety and hope.
PTSD Treatment: We provide specialized treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder including cognitive behavioral therapy that addresses negative thoughts, exposure therapy that reduces fear responses, medication management when needed, and techniques for managing flashbacks and nightmares.
Family Counseling: We work with families to help them understand what survivors experience, provide proper support without blame, avoid harmful behaviors like forcing marriage or isolation, and heal their own secondary trauma from watching loved one suffer.
Peer Support Groups: We facilitate support groups where survivors meet regularly, share experiences in safe environment, learn from each other’s coping strategies, provide mutual encouragement and understanding, and build friendships that reduce isolation.
Crisis Intervention: We provide immediate psychological support during crisis periods—court dates, encounters with perpetrator’s family, flashback episodes—when survivors are most vulnerable and need extra support.

Social Reintegration and Confidence Building:

Life Skills Training: We provide training in communication and self-advocacy, assertiveness and boundary setting, decision-making and problem-solving, and other skills that help survivors regain confidence and independence.
Community Sensitization: We work with survivors’ communities to reduce stigma through education about rape and its causes, teach proper ways to support survivors, challenge victim-blaming attitudes, and create welcoming environments for survivors to return to normal life.
Family Support Programs: We help families develop healthy relationships with survivors, balance protection with supporting independence, resist community pressure to isolate survivors, and support survivors in rebuilding lives including education, work, and eventually relationships if desired.

Pillar 4: Economic Empowerment and Livelihood Support
Financial independence is critical for long-term recovery, dignity, and breaking cycle of dependence that leaves women vulnerable.

Skills Training and Employment Programs:

Vocational Skills Training: We provide training in marketable skills including computer applications and digital literacy, digital marketing and social media management, accounting and financial record-keeping, tailoring and fashion design, handicrafts and jewelry making, food processing and catering, beauty and cosmetology, and customer service and communication.
Job Placement Support: We partner with companies committed to inclusive hiring, providing job placement assistance, interview preparation and resume writing, workplace accommodations when needed for disabilities or trauma responses, and follow-up support to ensure success in positions.
Apprenticeship Programs: We arrange apprenticeships where survivors learn trades through hands-on experience with established businesses, building skills while earning income and developing confidence.
Workplace Rights Education: We teach survivors about their rights as employees, how to handle discrimination or harassment, resources for workplace problems, and labor laws that protect them.

Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment Support:

Business Development Training: We provide training in business planning and market research, product development and quality control, marketing and customer relations, pricing and financial management, and business registration and legal requirements.
Interest-Free Startup Capital: We provide interest-free loans (Rs. 10,000-50,000) to survivors starting businesses, helping them purchase equipment and materials, build initial inventory, rent workspace, and cover initial operating costs without burden of interest payments.
Business Mentoring: We connect survivor entrepreneurs with experienced business mentors who provide ongoing guidance, problem-solving support, connections to suppliers and markets, and encouragement through challenges.
Cooperative Development: We facilitate survivor cooperatives where members pool resources, share equipment and workspace, access markets collectively, and support each other in building successful businesses.
Online Business Support: We help survivors establish online businesses including e-commerce stores on platforms like Amazon and Flipkart, freelancing on Upwork and Fiverr, content creation on YouTube and Instagram, and social media marketing services.

Financial Inclusion and Asset Building:

Bank Account Opening: We help survivors open bank accounts, access banking services, build financial literacy, and develop savings habits.
Savings Programs: We facilitate savings groups where survivors regularly save small amounts, building financial reserves for emergencies and opportunities while providing mutual support.
Insurance Access: We help survivors obtain health insurance through government schemes, life insurance for family security, and business insurance to protect investments.
Government Scheme Access: We help survivors access welfare programs including disability pensions for those with permanent injuries, health schemes like Ayushman Bharat, business development programs, housing support, and education assistance for children.

Pillar 5: Legal Reform, Advocacy, and System Change
Long-term elimination requires transforming systems, strengthening accountability, and changing social norms at scale.

Legal Aid and Justice Support:

Free Legal Representation: We provide free lawyers to survivors for criminal prosecution of perpetrators, compensation claims, and civil cases when needed.
Court Accompaniment: Our staff accompany survivors to all court hearings, providing emotional support, explaining procedures in simple language, ensuring their rights are protected, and helping them feel safe in hostile environments.
Compensation Claims Support: We handle the complex process of filing and following up on compensation claims with state authorities, navigating multiple offices, submitting required documentation, and ensuring survivors receive full amounts entitled.
Appeals and Higher Courts: When trials result in acquittals or inadequate sentences, we support appeals to higher courts seeking justice and appropriate punishment for perpetrators.

Witness Protection: We work with courts and police to ensure protection for survivors and witnesses, allowing them to testify safely without fear of retaliation.

Policy Advocacy and Legislative Reform:

Strengthening Rape Prevention Laws: We advocate for mandatory consent education in all schools, stricter enforcement of sexual harassment laws, comprehensive sex education that includes consent and boundaries, and enhanced penalties for repeat offenders.
Marital Rape Criminalization: We work toward criminalizing marital rape, which remains legal under current Indian law despite being a form of sexual violence that traps women in abusive marriages.
Fast-Track Courts: We push for mandatory fast-track designation for all rape cases, ensuring trials are completed within six months rather than the current 5-10 year average.
Enhanced Compensation: We advocate for increasing compensation amounts to Rs. 10-15 lakhs to cover actual medical expenses, psychological treatment, lost income, and rehabilitation costs.
Mandatory Rehabilitation: We work for laws requiring states to provide comprehensive rehabilitation services including medical care, psychological counseling, livelihood support, and education assistance for survivors and their children.
Witness Protection Systems: We push for establishment of effective witness protection programs that prevent perpetrator intimidation, allowing survivors to testify safely and increasing conviction rates.

Public Interest Litigation:

Strategic PILs: We file public interest litigation in High Courts and Supreme Court challenging weak enforcement of existing laws, demanding implementation of court directives on compensation, seeking accountability for police failures, and establishing new protective standards.
Monitoring Implementation: We file compliance petitions monitoring whether authorities implement court orders and compensation schemes properly, holding government accountable for failures.
Rights-Based Litigation: We pursue cases establishing legal principles that strengthen survivor rights, expand definitions of consent, and clarify government obligations under constitutional protections.

Research, Documentation, and Knowledge Building:

Survivor Testimony: We help survivors who choose to share their stories do so safely and effectively, creating powerful narratives that drive public awareness, policy change, and funding support.
Data Collection: We maintain comprehensive databases on rape cases tracking numbers by state and district, patterns in perpetrator profiles, conviction rates, compensation receipt, and systemic failures in police and court responses.
Impact Studies: We conduct research on effectiveness of prevention interventions, best practices for survivor support, economic impact of rape on families and communities, and barriers to justice.
Best Practice Dissemination: We publish reports, toolkits, and guides sharing successful approaches with other organizations, hospitals, police departments, and government agencies.

Public Awareness and Social Norm Change:

Media Campaigns: We run television, radio, print, and social media campaigns highlighting consequences of rape, celebrating survivor resilience, teaching consent and respect, and promoting gender equality.
Celebrity Advocacy: We engage respected public figures, film stars, sports personalities, and social media influencers to use their platforms promoting respect for women, condemning rape culture, and supporting survivors.
Survivor Leadership: We support survivors who want to become advocates, providing platforms for them to speak at universities, conferences, and media, share their stories publicly, and influence policy discussions.
Annual Events: We organize events on International Women’s Day, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, and other occasions to focus public attention on rape and honor survivor courage.

Your donation to BRAC funds these comprehensive solutions that address both immediate survivor needs and long-term systemic change. Every contribution—whether Rs. 2,000 or Rs. 1,50,000—directly funds emergency medical care, psychological healing, legal support, livelihood programs, and advocacy campaigns. Your support transforms systems while saving and rebuilding individual lives.

6. Societal Impact: Building a Safer, More Just India
Eliminating rape creates transformative impacts extending beyond individual survivors, contributing to gender equality, social justice, and a society where women and girls can live with dignity, freedom, and safety.

Individual and Family Transformation
With proper support, rape survivors achieve remarkable recovery and transformation.

Survivor Recovery and Empowerment: Survivors in comprehensive support programs show significant psychological healing through trauma counseling and peer support, economic independence through skills training and employment, social reintegration as stigma reduces and confidence grows, restored sense of self-worth and dignity, and many become advocates and leaders in women’s rights movements.
Family Healing: When survivors receive support, entire families benefit through financial stability when survivors gain livelihood, reduced trauma when family members receive counseling, restored relationships through family therapy, reduced stigma as communities become more accepting, and pride when survivors succeed and contribute.
Children Protected: Supporting survivors protects children who depend on them from losing maternal care and emotional support, witnessing continued trauma and violence, dropping out of school due to financial crisis, and developing mental health problems from family stress.

Community-Level Impact
Strong responses to rape create ripple effects transforming communities.

Reduction in Violence Against Women: Communities with active prevention programs show measurable reductions in rape and other forms of violence against women, increased reporting of threats and harassment before violence occurs, stronger social norms condemning violence, and greater willingness of neighbors to intervene when women face threats.
Women’s Empowerment: When women see rapists punished and survivors supported, it empowers them to resist unwanted relationships and sexual advances, assert independence in education and career choices, report harassment and violence without fear, and refuse to accept control or subordination.
Youth Attitude Change: Prevention education in schools and colleges shapes young people’s attitudes, with youth exposed to programs showing greater understanding of consent and boundaries, respect for women’s right to refuse, commitment to gender equality, rejection of victim-blaming attitudes, and willingness to speak out against harassment and violence.
Community Cohesion: Working together to prevent rape and support survivors builds community strength through shared values around protection and dignity, networks of support for vulnerable members, collective action capabilities, and reduced social divisions.

Economic Benefits
Preventing rape and supporting survivors generates significant economic benefits.

Survivor Economic Contribution: When survivors receive livelihood support and find employment or establish businesses, they contribute economically by earning income and paying taxes, employing others in their businesses, spending money that circulates in local economies, serving as role models for other women, and lifting families out of poverty.
Reduced Economic Burden: Preventing rape avoids enormous costs including medical expenses for physical and reproductive health treatment, psychological treatment costs, lost productivity when survivors cannot work or study, family financial crisis and debt, government expenditure on compensation and services, and social welfare costs for families pushed into poverty.
Women’s Economic Participation: Safe environments enable women’s full economic participation through education completion without fear of attack, workforce participation without harassment, entrepreneurship and business development, and property ownership and control. Research shows that increasing women’s economic participation by just 10% could add over $700 billion to India’s GDP.
Business and Investment Climate: States and communities known for protecting women attract more business investment, skilled workers and professionals, tourism and cultural development, and economic growth.

Legal and Governance Improvements
Effective responses to rape strengthen institutions and governance.

Rule of Law Strengthening: Successful prosecution of rape cases demonstrates that laws protect the vulnerable, the justice system delivers accountability, violence carries serious consequences, and rights are enforceable not just promises. This strengthens public trust in institutions.
Gender-Sensitive Justice: Reforms in how rape cases are handled—survivor-centered investigation, fast-track trials, proper compensation, witness protection—create models for handling other crimes against women including domestic violence, sexual harassment, dowry violence, and trafficking.
Government Accountability: Advocacy efforts holding government accountable for implementing laws, providing promised compensation, and protecting citizens strengthen democratic accountability across the board. When governments respond to survivor demands, it empowers citizens to demand better governance in other areas.
Police Reform: Improving police response to rape—mandatory FIR registration, survivor-sensitive investigation, protection from threats—creates pressure for broader police reforms in professionalism, accountability, and service delivery.

Social and Cultural Transformation
The fight against rape fundamentally challenges gender inequality and transforms social attitudes.

Gender Equality Advancement: The fight against rape is fundamentally about women’s right to make choices about relationships, education, work, and their bodies free from violence. Success in preventing rape and supporting survivors advances broader gender equality through increased acceptance of women’s independence, rejection of violence as control mechanism, women’s participation in all spheres of life, equality in relationships and marriage, and shared parenting and household responsibilities.
Challenging Male Control Structures: Rape represents extreme enforcement of male control over women. Effectively preventing and responding to rape challenges these structures by establishing that men cannot control women through violence, women’s refusals and choices must be respected, consent is mandatory and non-negotiable, and women have bodily autonomy.
Survivor Visibility and Voice: When survivors speak publicly, lead advocacy campaigns, and achieve success, they challenge stereotypes about violence victims, showing society that survivors are strong and resilient, deserve respect and support not blame, can lead meaningful productive lives, and have authority to speak on gender issues. This reduces stigma for all violence survivors.
Rejection of Victim Blaming: Public awareness campaigns and survivor activism shift social attitudes from blaming victims to holding perpetrators accountable, recognizing rape is about power not sex, understanding that women’s behavior does not cause rape, and accepting that only rapists are responsible for rape.

Alignment with National Development Goals
Eliminating rape aligns with India’s development commitments.

Sustainable Development Goals: The work directly advances SDG 5 on gender equality and ending violence against women, SDG 3 on health and well-being for survivors, SDG 16 on peace, justice, and strong institutions, SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth through women’s participation, and SDG 10 on reduced inequalities.
India’s National Priorities: The fight aligns with India’s commitments to women’s empowerment under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Mahila Shakti Kendra, National Mission for Empowerment of Women, Nirbhaya Fund programs, and other government initiatives. Success in ending rape supports broader national objectives.
International Reputation: Effective action against rape enhances India’s international standing on human rights, women’s rights, and rule of law, which matters for international relations, trade partnerships, foreign investment, and soft power.

Your donation to BRAC contributes to this comprehensive transformation, building an India where women are safe, violence is not tolerated, survivors receive full support, and gender equality advances. Every contribution creates ripple effects extending across families, communities, and the nation, moving us toward a society where rape becomes unthinkable and every person lives with dignity and safety.

7. Call to Action: Join BRAC’s Fight to End Rape
The fight against rape cannot be won by laws alone or by survivor courage alone. It requires active support from people who believe in justice, dignity, and safety for all. Your involvement—whether through financial support, volunteering, or advocacy—makes the difference between continued suffering and real transformation.

Why Your Support Matters Now

Crisis Scale Demands Action: With over 31,000 rapes reported annually—averaging 87 every day—and actual numbers likely much higher due to underreporting, the crisis is enormous and urgent. Every day of delay means more lives destroyed.
Survivors Are Waiting: Thousands of rape survivors across Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, and other states lack access to the medical treatment, psychological counseling, and livelihood support they desperately need. Many live in poverty, isolated and hopeless. Your support reaches them where government programs fail.
Prevention Works: Communities where BRAC implements awareness campaigns, early warning systems, and rapid response programs show measurable reductions in attacks. Expanding these proven programs to more high-risk areas prevents future victims.
Justice Gaps Persist: With conviction rates at only 27.2% and average trials stretching 5-10 years, survivors need legal support to navigate courts and hold perpetrators accountable. Your contribution funds lawyers, court accompaniment, and prosecution support.

Ways to Support

One-Time Donations – Your Impact:

Rs. 2,000 provides emergency medical care coordination, crisis counseling, and police complaint filing support for one survivor in the critical first 48 hours after rape.
Rs. 5,000 covers one month of basic medical care including gynecological treatment, pregnancy prevention, infection treatment, and medications for one survivor during initial recovery.
Rs. 15,000 funds psychological counseling sessions for one survivor for three months, treating depression, PTSD, and trauma while building coping strategies and hope for the future.
Rs. 35,000 provides vocational skills training in computer applications, digital marketing, tailoring, or other marketable skills for one survivor, including materials, equipment, and job placement support leading to economic independence.
Rs. 75,000 covers legal representation for one survivor through complete criminal trial including FIR registration, court appearances, witness coordination, and appeals if needed, plus compensation claim assistance.
Rs. 1,50,000 provides comprehensive support for one survivor for one year including medical treatment, ongoing psychological counseling, skills training, business startup capital, legal aid for prosecution, and family support services.

Monthly Donations – Sustained Impact:

Rs. 1,000 per month supports our 24/7 emergency helpline operations, ensuring every call is answered, every crisis receives immediate response, and every survivor gets connected to services.
Rs. 3,000 per month sponsors one survivor’s monthly expenses including medical care, counseling sessions, medications, transportation to services, and basic necessities during recovery period.
Rs. 5,000 per month funds community prevention programs in one village, including awareness campaigns, women’s support groups, early warning systems, and youth education that prevent attacks before they happen.
Rs. 10,000 per month provides comprehensive monthly support for one survivor including medical care, psychological counseling, skills training, livelihood development, and legal support, creating transformation from victim to survivor to leader.

Volunteer and Engagement Opportunities:

Community Volunteers: Join our awareness campaigns in high-risk areas. Conduct street theater performances, distribute educational materials, speak at schools and colleges about consent and respect, and mobilize communities to reject violence against women. Training provided.
Professional Skills Volunteering: Offer your professional expertise. Doctors and nurses can provide medical camps and consultations. Lawyers can offer legal aid and representation. Counselors and psychologists can provide therapy sessions. Business professionals can mentor survivor entrepreneurs. Web designers and digital marketers can help survivors establish online businesses.

Advocacy and Awareness Building:

Social Media Advocacy: Follow BRAC on social media platforms and share our content highlighting survivor stories, prevention messages, legal reforms needed, and calls to action. Use your voice to educate your network about rape, its causes, and how to prevent it.
Policy Advocacy: Write to your Members of Parliament, state legislators, and local officials demanding faster trials for rape cases through mandatory fast-track courts, full and timely compensation for all survivors, comprehensive rehabilitation services in every district, criminalization of marital rape, and stricter enforcement of laws.
Corporate Partnerships: Encourage your employer to support BRAC through corporate social responsibility programs, employee giving campaigns, skill-based volunteering programs, or inclusive hiring practices that provide jobs to rape survivors.
Community Education: Organize awareness sessions in your neighborhood, workplace, school, college, or religious institution. Invite BRAC speakers to share information about preventing rape, supporting survivors, and changing attitudes that enable violence.

Transparency and Accountability
At BRAC, we believe donors deserve complete transparency about how contributions are used.

85% Program Allocation: A minimum of 85% of all donations goes directly to program expenses benefiting rape survivors—medical care, counseling, legal aid, livelihood support, and prevention campaigns. Only 15% covers essential administrative and fundraising costs.
Annual Reporting: We publish detailed annual reports showing finances, program outcomes, numbers served, and impact achieved. All reports are available at brac.in/reports for public review.
Independent Audits: Our accounts are audited annually by independent chartered accountants, ensuring financial integrity and proper use of donor funds. Audit reports are shared with donors and regulatory authorities.
Donor Communication: Every donor receives regular updates via email showing exactly how contributions are used, stories of survivors helped, outcomes achieved, and ongoing needs. We believe donors are partners who deserve to see the impact they create.

Tax Benefits:

Section 80G Deduction: BRAC Global Social Foundation is registered under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act. Donations qualify for tax deductions, reducing your tax liability while supporting survivors. Your contribution saves you tax money while transforming lives.
Donation Certificates: All donors receive official donation receipts within 7 business days via email, including all details needed for claiming tax deductions when filing returns.

How To Get Started Today:

Online Donations: Visit www.brac.in/donate-now to make secure online donations via credit card, debit card, net banking, UPI, or digital wallets. The process takes less than two minutes, and your contribution reaches survivors immediately.
Phone Support: Call +91 7977386674 to speak with our donor relations team. They can answer questions, explain programs, process donations over the phone, and help you choose how to make the greatest impact.
Email Inquiries: Write to partner@brac.in or info@brac.in for detailed information about programs, impact reports, volunteer opportunities, or partnership possibilities. We respond to all inquiries within 24 hours.
Follow BRAC on social media to join the movement to end rape. Stay updated on survivor stories, program outcomes, advocacy campaigns, and ways to get involved. Your follows, shares, and engagement spread awareness and build the community working for change.

Every survivor deserves safety, healing, and dignity. Every rupee you contribute moves us closer to an India where rape is history, not reality. Donate today and be the change that transforms lives.

8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What exactly is rape under Indian law?
Under current law, rape is defined as sexual intercourse by a man with a woman against her will, without her consent, with her consent obtained by putting her or any person in fear of death or hurt, with her consent when she believes he is her husband, with her consent when given due to unsoundness of mind or intoxication, or with or without her consent when she is under eighteen years of age. The definition includes penile-vaginal penetration as well as penetration of mouth, urethra, or anus with penis or any object.

Q2: How common is rape in India?
According to the National Crime Records Bureau’s latest Crime in India 2023 report, 29,670 rape cases were recorded in 2023, showing a decrease from 31,516 cases in 2022 and 31,677 cases in 2021. This means on average 81 women and girls report rape every single day in India. However, experts believe actual numbers are much higher due to widespread underreporting, with some estimates suggesting actual rapes could be double or triple official statistics.

Q3: Which states have the highest rape rates?
According to NCRB’s Crime in India 2023 report, Rajasthan recorded the highest number with 5,194 rape cases in 2023 (averaging 14 cases per day), followed by Uttar Pradesh with 3,556 cases, Madhya Pradesh with 2,979 cases, Maharashtra with 2,932 cases, and Haryana with 1,772 cases. During 2014-2022, Rajasthan accounted for 14% of all rape cases reported across the country. In overall crimes against women, Uttar Pradesh leads with 66,381 cases, followed by Maharashtra with 47,101 cases and Rajasthan with 45,450 cases in 2023. Among metropolitan cities, Delhi recorded 14,158 crimes against women in 2023, the highest among metros.

Q4: Why do men commit rape?
The primary reason is to show power and control over women. Men rape to punish women for refusing relationships or marriage proposals, to respond to rejection of sexual advances, to enforce obedience in marriages, to assert caste-based dominance over lower caste women, because they feel entitled to women’s bodies, and to destroy women’s futures and independence. Research shows that 89% of rape survivors knew their attackers—they were relatives, neighbors, friends, employers, or partners.

Q5: What are the punishments for rape under BNS 2023?
Under Section 64 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, rape carries minimum imprisonment of 10 years extendable to life imprisonment, which means imprisonment for remainder of natural life, plus fine. For rape of minors under 16 years, Section 65 prescribes minimum 20 years extendable to life. For rape of minors under 12 years, punishment is minimum 20 years extendable to life or death. Gang rape under Section 70 carries minimum 20 years extendable to life. When rape causes death or vegetative state, Section 66 prescribes minimum 20 years extendable to life or death.

Q6: What compensation do rape survivors receive?
State compensation schemes provide minimum Rs. 3 lakh as prescribed by Supreme Court and NALSA guidelines. Some states provide higher amounts—Haryana provides up to Rs. 6 lakh, Maharashtra up to Rs. 10 lakh, and Delhi Rs. 2-4 lakh depending on severity. However, research shows most survivors never receive this money or receive only partial amounts after years of following up, with acceptance rates as low as 15% in some states.

Q7: What is the conviction rate for rape in India?
The conviction rate for rape stands at only 27.2% in 2022, meaning fewer than 3 out of 10 accused are convicted while over 7 escape punishment. This low rate results from poor investigations, delayed forensic reports, witness intimidation, judicial delays, and inadequate legal representation for survivors.

Q8: How long do rape trials take in India?
Average rape trials stretch 5-10 years despite provisions for fast-track courts. In 2023, out of 735 acid attack cases involving women in trial, 649 cases were pending from previous years while only 86 new cases were sent to trial, showing massive judicial backlog. Survivors must appear repeatedly in court over years, reliving trauma while waiting for justice.

Q9: Is marital rape a crime in India?
No. Current Indian law does not recognize marital rape as a crime. The law contains an exception stating that sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape. This means married women have no legal protection against rape by their husbands, trapping many in abusive marriages.

Q10: What immediate steps should a rape survivor take?
Survivors should immediately seek medical care at government or private hospital for examination, evidence collection, pregnancy prevention medication, and treatment for injuries and infections. They should not bathe or change clothes before medical examination to preserve evidence. File police complaint FIR as soon as possible, including all details of the attack and evidence. Contact support organizations like BRAC for legal aid, counseling, and assistance navigating medical and legal systems. Seek psychological counseling to begin processing trauma.

Q11: How does BRAC help rape survivors?
BRAC provides comprehensive support including emergency medical care coordination and hospital admissions, funding for ongoing medical treatment and reproductive health care, psychological counseling and trauma therapy for survivors and families, legal aid for FIR registration, prosecution support, and compensation claims, skills training and job placement for economic independence, business startup capital for entrepreneurship, family support services, and advocacy for stronger laws and enforcement.

Q12: Can rape survivors fully recover?
With proper support, survivors can achieve significant recovery and lead fulfilling lives. Physical injuries heal with medical treatment. Psychological trauma can be treated through counseling, though healing takes time. Economic independence through skills training and employment helps rebuild confidence. Social reintegration becomes possible as stigma reduces. Many survivors become advocates and leaders. However, recovery requires comprehensive support that addresses medical, psychological, economic, and social needs together.

Q13: How can I help prevent rape in my community?
You can help by supporting organizations like BRAC working on prevention, educating your community about consent, respect, and women’s rights, challenging attitudes that blame victims or accept violence, teaching children about healthy relationships and boundaries, raising sons who respect women’s choices and handle rejection with maturity, intervening when you see harassment or threats, reporting suspicious behavior or threats to authorities, advocating for stronger enforcement of laws, and supporting survivors rather than stigmatizing them.

Q14: What is POCSO Act and how does it protect children?
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences POCSO Act 2012 provides special protection for children below 18 years from sexual assault, sexual harassment, and pornography. Unlike regular rape laws, POCSO is gender neutral, protecting both boys and girls. It creates child-friendly procedures for reporting and trial, mandates investigation within two months and trial within one year, and prescribes minimum 10 years imprisonment extendable to life for penetrative sexual assault.

Q15: Where can survivors get free legal aid?
The National Legal Services Authority NALSA provides free legal aid to rape victims on priority basis through state and district legal services authorities in every district. BRAC also provides free lawyers for criminal prosecution, compensation claims, and court accompaniment. Survivors can contact their district legal services authority or organizations like BRAC for free legal representation.

Remember, your support—whether through donations, volunteering, or advocacy—creates real change. Together, we can build an India where rape becomes impossible and every survivor receives full support to heal and thrive. Visit www.brac.in/donate-now or call +91 7977386674 to get started today.

Disclaimer
BRAC Global Social Foundation is a registered Indian NGO, distinct from other international organizations with similar names. Laws may vary across states and are subject to change—readers should seek qualified legal advice for specific cases. The figures presented are based on BRAC’s research-driven proposals and illustrative projections. They do not represent outcomes of current or ongoing programs. These numbers are intended to demonstrate the scale of impact that could be achieved if the proposed initiatives are fully funded and implemented. Actual results may differ depending on available resources, external conditions, and program execution. With your donation, these projections can move from vision to reality.
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