FROM R.G. KAR TO A NATIONAL MOVEMENT: WHY 'SAFETY IN WORKPLACE' MUST BE OUR NEXT BATTLE

As we all know by now, the recent A rape case at Kolkata's R.G. Kar Medical College has reignited the demand for a special law or new legislation to protect female staff in hospitals.

- DR.PYALI CHATTERJEE

Over the past few years, we have witnessed how the government has enacted and amended rape laws in response to public outcry.

From the Bhanwari Devi case, which resulted in the Supreme Court's Vishakha Guidelines of 1997, through to Nirbhaya (2012), bringing sweeping and radical changes to criminal laws including amendments to Juvenile Justice Act where Justice Verma Committee recommendations were implemented.

However, these changes in the law have not stopped the rape cases numbers from increasing. A woman is sexually assaulted every 15 minutes across the country, according to a government report - and in 2022, police received 31,000 reports of rape. This is evident because the number of rape cases has not decreased, even with changing laws. Clearly, our legal system has not made an impression deterrent in society.