India has gained notoriety as a perilous destination for female tourists from abroad, with a recent incident involving a Spanish blogger underscoring the country’s safety concerns and raising questions about its secular image.
On March 1st, while traversing the city of Jharkhand on a motorcycle with her partner, a Spanish woman fell victim to a brutal gang rape.
The couple had pitched a tent for an overnight stay in Dhanbad, a state in India, when a gang of seven individuals attacked them, according to reports from Al Jazeera.
The incident has sparked widespread international condemnation, shedding light on the prevalent issue of sexual violence against women in India.
According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau, an alarming average of 90 cases of sexual assault are reported daily in India. In 2022 alone, a rape case against a woman was reported every 18 minutes, with a total of 31,516 incidents recorded.
States like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh have witnessed a disproportionate number of such cases, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
Reports from Al Jazeera indicate that sexual violence against women in India is particularly rampant, posing a significant risk to women from minority tribal communities.
Despite the overwhelming evidence, perpetrators of sexual assault often receive lenient sentences in India, perpetuating a cycle of impunity and contributing to the prevalence of such crimes.
In her Instagram account, the 28-year-old Spanish travel blogger detailed the harrowing ordeal, describing how the group not only subjected them to violence but also robbed them of their belongings before sexually assaulting her, as reported by Hindustan Times.
A companion of the blogger further disclosed that she endured repeated blows to her head and face with a helmet.
The assault left the victim in critical condition, until they were rescued by a petrol pump attendant who rushed them to a local hospital.
