OMG - Raped and burnt Indian girl 15-year-old in New Delhi, India

OMG - Raped and burnt Indian girl 15-year-old in New Delhi, India

As the world marks Women's Day, police in New Delhi have confirmed a 15-year-old girl is fighting for her life in hospital after being raped and set on fire on the rooftop terrace of her family's home.A 20-year-old man has been arrested for the crime in the New Delhi suburb of Noida. 

A 15-year-old girl was fighting for her life in a New Delhi hospital Tuesday after being raped and set on fire on the rooftop terrace of her family’s home in a village outside the city

Teen girl raped, set on fire in village near New Delhi, police say

In the latest case, police have arrested a 20-year-old man suspected of raping and attempting to burn the girl to death Monday in Tigri village, near the New Delhi suburb of Noida in the state of Uttar Pradesh, according to constable Yadram Singh of the Bisrakh police station.

A 15-year-old girl was fighting for her life in a New Delhi hospital Tuesday after being raped and set on fire on the rooftop terrace of her family’s home in a village outside the city

Singh said the man “had burns on his hands” and was charged with several offences, including rape, attempted murder, assault of a minor and causing grievous injury.

The girl was in critical condition with severe burns over most of her body, Singh said. Indian newspapers said she had burns on 95 per cent of her body.

Singh’s police report on the case describes how the girl’s parents found her after hearing her screaming from the rooftop terrace a few hours before dawn Monday.

The girl later told police that she was raped, beaten and then set on fire by a man who she said had been stalking her for months, Singh said.

India’s women and children are considered particularly vulnerable to sexual violence and harassment because of widespread social taboos against speaking about sexual assault. The stigma is enough to keep many from even reporting crimes, while many others face police resistance in filing complaints.

VIOLENT RAPE CASES ON THE RISE

OMG - Raped and burnt Indian girl 15-year-old in New Delhi, India

The number of rapes in India rose by nine percent to 33,707 in 2014, according to the latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau.

A wave of public protests after the fatal gang rape of a woman on a Delhi bus in December 2012 forced the government to enact stiffer penalties on gender crimes.

This included the death sentence for repeat rape offenders, criminalizing stalking and voyeurism, and making acid attacks and human trafficking specific offences.

AID FOR VICTIMS

Last month, India's Supreme Court had directed all the country's states to formulate a uniform policy to provide compensation to victims of rape and other forms of sexual assault, saying such aid was crucial for a survivor's rehabilitation.

Conservative and patriarchal attitudes in India mean victims of sexual assault are often shunned by their families and communities and blamed for the violence perpetrated against them, say activists and lawyers.

Many are ostracised from their homes and cannot afford the legal fees to fight for justice in an under-resourced judicial system where verdicts can still take years to reach.

India’s 29 states and seven union territories vary in how they provide support to sexual assault victims, with some states such as Maharashtra in the west providing no formal financial aid, while others such as Goa providing up to $14,620, said the court order.