Tamil Nadu tops country in cases of domestic violence

Tamil Nadu tops country in cases of domestic violence

CHENNAI: Disturbing statistics released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) show that domestic violence is much more prevalent in Tamil Nadu than any other state in the country.
The NCRB data shows the state registered 3,838 cases of domestic violence in 2012 — or 84% of all complaints (4,567) of domestic violence recorded across the country.

Tamil Nadu recorded the most cases of domestic violence in the country, 3,983, last year too, a finding cited by minister for women and child development Krishna Tirath on August 14.
Experts offer several reasons for the high numbers in the state. These include greater awareness about the law in Tamil Nadu and due to an increase in education among women. Police officers, however, say tolerance levels are plunging among young couples, and this has led to a spurt in complaints.
Most complainants are women from middle-class and upper middle-class families.
The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act was enacted by the Union government in 2005 to protect women from violence at home.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-19/india/41424743_1_domestic-violence-act-tamil-nadu-ncrb 

Study blames women for crimes against them

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At a time when governments are trying to provide more safety to women, a study report prepared by the Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi, for the state police on various causes for crimes against women seems to be anti-women and regressive. The study cites economic independence of women, their response to crimes against them, dressing pattern, use of mobile phones by youngsters, boundaries of male-female relationships and ignorance on the part of women about their position as the causes, apart from some 50-odd disputable reasons.
The study collected data from 181 victims, 197 police officers, 40 social workers and 44 citizens with the sample size totalling to 462. The report 'Women Victims of Crimes in Kerala 2012-13' was prepared by Dr L Thara Bhai, a research coordinator of the institute. State police chief K S Balasubramanian received the report on Thursday. The office of the state police chief had taken up this initiative during 2012-13 with the help of the institute.

It is claimed in the submitted report that the prescriptive study to find causes also found solutions from public, social workers, police officers and victims themselves. The study gathered information regarding the victims' status after the crime was committed, their recovery and return to normalcy.
The study also found that crime against women is more visible among backward castes and SC/ST families, and 47.27% of the victims are from financially backward homes. "Income of the accused and crimes against women are correlated. Lesser the income, more the hatred towards the women in the family," stated the study that blamed poverty and alcoholism as the main causes for such crimes.
Thiruvananthapuram: At a time when governments are trying to provide more safety, freedom, respect and equality for women, various causes for crimes against women listed out in a study report prepared by the Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi for the Kerala police are clearly anti-women and regressive.
The study carried out by the prestigious institute for State Police cites economic independence of women, women responding to crimes against them, dressing pattern, use of mobile phones by young girls and boys, cutting boundaries of male- female relationships and unawareness from the part of women of their position, are the causes of growing crimes against women, apart from other 50-odd disputable reasons.
The report 'Women Victims of Crimes in Kerala 2012-13' was prepared by Dr L Thara Bhai, research coordinator of the institute. State police chief K S Balasubramanian received the study report at the police headquarters on Thursday. According to the report, the office of the Kerala State Police Chief took the initiative to conduct a study on women victims of crimes in the state during 2012-13 with the help of the institute.
It is claimed in the submitted report that the 'prescriptive study aimed to find causes and tried to find solutions either from the public, or from the social workers or from the police officers or from the victim themselves and 'gathered information regarding the victims' status after the crime was committed on them and the long process of coming back to normalcy'.
The study also finds that crime on women is more seen among the backward castes and SC/ST families. Majority (47.27%) of the victims have are financially backward homes. 'Income of the accused and the crime on women are correlated. Lesser the income more the hatred to the women in the family,' according to the study that finds poverty coupled with alcoholism as the root causes for crimes in the study.
The data for the study were collected from 181 victims, 197 police officers, 40 social workers and 44 general public coming to a total sample size of 462.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-01/thiruvananthapuram/40960516_1_women-victims-social-sciences-crimes 

India saw 1,35,445 suicides last year

India saw 1,35,445 suicides last year 

As many as 1,35,445 people committed suicide in the country last year. Statistics released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) show that excluding West Bengal, 79,773 men and 40,715 women had taken the extreme step. West Bengal, where 14,957 suicides were reported, did not provide classification statistics to the NCRB.

The rate of suicide last year stands at 11.2 cases for a population of I lakh. As per rounded off figures provided by the NCRB, on an average, 15 suicides an hour or 371 suicides a day had taken place. When scrutinised further, it reveals 242 male and 129 female suicides a day.

Tamil Nadu tops the list with 16,927 suicides, followed by Maharashtra with 16,112 suicides, West Bengal 3rd and Andhra Pradesh following it with 14,328 suicides. The 28 States together accounted for 1,32,667 cases and the seven Union Territories together for 2,778 suicides. In the administrative division of Lakshadweep, only one person committed suicide. In Delhi UT, it was 1,899. Among the cities of the country, Chennai topped with 2,183 cases.

The rate of suicide at the administrative division of Puducherry was the highest in the country, 36.8 for every 1 lakh persons. With a population close to 15 lakh as per estimated mid-year population, 541 persons committed suicide in Puducherry in 2012. Sikkim follows with a rate of 29.1 per cent and Tamil Nadu 3rd with a rate of 24.9 closely followed by Kerala with 24.3. The national average stands at 11.2.

Family problems accounted for 84 suicides a day on an average. The NCRB figures show that social and economic causes have led most of the men to commit suicides whereas emotional and personal causes have mainly driven women to end their lives. The percentage of suicides by married men was 71.6% and married women 67.9%.

One suicide out of every six suicides was committed by a housewife. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu plus Maharashtra have together accounted for 50.6% of the suicides reported in the country. The highest number of suicide pacts was reported from Rajasthan, 74, followed by Andhra Pradesh (18), Kerala (12), and Gujarat (3), out of 109 such cases reported.

Thirty-seven per cent of the victims took the extreme step by hanging themselves, 29.1 per cent by consuming poison and 8.4 per cent by self-immolation. Last year, 50,062 persons hanged themselves in the country and the majority were men at 34,631. The highest number of such cases was reported from Maharashtra, 7,055 followed by Kerala with 5,629 cases and Tamil Nadu 3rd with 5393 cases.

Nineteen thousand four hundred and forty five persons committed suicide by consuming poison and 12,286 of them were men. Tamil Nadu topped the list with 3,459 cases, followed by Karnataka with 3,173 cases. The number of self-immolation cases was 11,438, the majority being women — 7,326. In this category too, Tamil Nadu topped with 2,349 cases and 1,481 of them were women. Maharashtra followed with 1,674 such cases.

From among the cities, the highest number of self immolation cases was reported from Kanpur (285), followed by Chennai (282). By jumping in front of speeding vehicles, especially trains, 4,259 persons committed suicide and the majority of them were men (3,554). Andhra Pradesh topped this list with 1,101 cases.

As per NCRB statistics, 1,35,585 persons committed suicide in the country in 2011. NCRB statistics from 2002 shows that the annual suicide cases in the country always stood above the 1 lakh mark and the highest number of cases was in 2011. In 2002, it was 1,10,417 cases. 

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-saw-135445-suicides-last-year/article4849710.ece