"Women Cannot Be Punished For Adultery"

A woman, even if she is involved in an illicit relationship, cannot be punished for adultery and is treated as the victim under law.

And the National Commission for Women (NCW) has shot down proposals for amending Section 497 so that women can be prosecuted for adultery.

The Commission had been asked by the Centre to review Section 497 which does not envisage prosecution of the wife by the husband for adultery.

The section provides expressly that the wife shall not be punishable even as an abettor, based on the reasoning that the wife, who is involved in an illicit relationship with another man, is a victim and not the author of the crime.

According to NCW sources, the Commission does not feel that by merely prescribing punishment for women by amending Section 497, the marriage can be protected or saved.

The NCW has forwarded its recommendations to the government, in which it has stated that considering the relatively socially disempowered position of women, the Commission suggests no amendments to Section 497 of IPC.

The existing provision in the IPC is based on the mindset that the wife is a personal possession of the husband, who is the sole aggrieved person in an incident of adultery.

The Commission has, however, recommended suitable amendments to Section 198(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPRC), which as of now disqualifies the wife of an unfaithful husband from prosecuting him for his promiscuous behaviour.

It has told the government that as the wife already can take action against her husband under various other legal provisions, such as Section 498A of IPC, there is no reason that she should be debarred from initiating prosecution under Section 198 of CRPC.

The wife, in such cases, ought to be the person aggrieved and competent to file a complaint under Section 198.

In another important recommendation, the Commission has said adultery should be treated as a civil wrong and not a criminal offence.

It is of the view that there may be many instances where the woman wants to save the marriage and sees the adulterous relationship as an aberration.

The issue of adultery should be viewed as a breach of trust and be treated as a civil wrong rather than as a criminal offence.

The NCW has, however, said this should be done only after a national consensus is formed on the issue.

"Delhi Police Official's Daughter Found Burnt For Dowry"

Ghaziabad, April 2 The daughter of a Delhi Police sub-inspector was allegedly burnt alive by her in-laws in Ghaziabad Thursday for not getting dowry, her family members said. The police are investigating the case.

Babli, 26, - daughter of Delhi Police sub-inspector Atar Singh - was married to Dev Raj on June 18, 2004. While Atar Singh's family stayed at Indirapuri colony in Loni, Dev Raj lived at Balramnagar in the same area.

On Thursday morning, the police were informed that Babli was lying dead in her husband's house with extensive burns. Babli's parents were also informed and reached the spot.

Babli's husband and in-laws were missing from the house when the police reached.

Babli's brother Rishi Raj said his sister was constantly harassed by her in-laws for dowry.

He said Babli had been turned out of her husband's house many times in the past to bring money and various articles from her father. She had called her father Wednesday night and told him that her in-laws were conspiring to kill her, he said.

Babli's father filed a complaint at the Loni police station but the police were yet to register a case till Thursday night.

However, senior officials assured the fanmily and media that the police were taking action.

"We are looking out for the girl's husband and his family. They would be taken to task. The matter is under investigation," Anant Dev, the superintendent of police (city), said.

"Fighting India's Dowry Crime"

India's illegal dowry system is still thriving, leaving women vulnerable to abuse, sometimes even murder. Adam Mynott asks if new police powers to combat violence against brides are proving effective.

Vimla Mehra tours the offices round the women's crime unit in south Delhi every morning.

As police superintendent in charge of the unit, she likes to keep in touch with what is going on.

Inside each cramped office is a desk and, round the walls, half a dozen chairs.

These chairs are occupied from dawn till dusk by warring families.

Wives have turned up to accuse husbands of mental torture and beatings; mothers and fathers accuse their sons-in-law of theft or of demanding dowry payments with menaces long after the wedding.

Husbands are claiming their wives have been cheating on them.

In the middle a police officer - usually a woman - listens patiently as the exchanges pick up from annoyance to anger to fury.

Occasionally, she will intervene to try to calm the shouting and the screaming.

Soaring crime

The Crime Women Cell, tucked away behind a gudwara (a Sikh temple), just off the inner ring road in south Delhi, was set up to help protect women in male dominated Indian society.

Crimes against women have soared in the past 10 years.

There were nearly 150,000 recorded in 2000 by the National Crimes Record Bureau, up from 130,000 in 1998, and many more crimes are committed than recorded.

These are serious crimes: murder, rape and assault.

Mrs Mehra says: "The main problem is dowry. I don't know why, but more and more women come to us.

"Husbands are demanding things - a scooter or some money - it's one of the easiest ways to get money."

She has seen it all and says that the growing middle class in India is fuelling the demands for dowry cash and gifts.

"They have more, and they want more."

'Bride burning'

Mrs Mehra's police unit has just been given new powers to arrest and detain suspects.

Until now they were mainly a counselling and advice service.

But the task is overwhelming.

Delhi has a population of 14 million; the Crime Women Cell has one van to answer calls.

It can take two hours to get to the other side of the city and they rely on co-operation from a police force that is riddled with corruption and inefficiency.

The pattern is familiar: a woman is burned to death in her kitchen; the police arrive; the family of the husband claim it is a "cooking stove" accident; the police are assisted towards this conclusion with a wad of rupees.

By the time the Crime Women Cell has weaved its way through the traffic jams and potholes of Delhi it is a done deal.

Corruption

Giving or receiving any dowry of more than 7,000 rupees (£90/US$150) is a crime in India.

But it is a law that is universally ignored and it is a problem that leads to the abuse and degradation, even the death, of women.

Despite the corruption and the bureaucracy, hundreds are convicted of dowry crime every year.

The main prison in Delhi, Tihar Jail, has a "mother-in-law" cell block, set aside exclusively for women who have killed or harassed their daughters-in-law.

It is full of elderly women, some of whom are serving 20-year sentences for murder.

Dowries are not going away. They are deeply ingrained in Indian society and are growing stronger, and the law prohibiting them is treated with contempt.

The police are powerless to stop it and even communities such as Muslims, who never used to give dowries, are now doing so with the inevitable sinister consequences.

"High Prevalence Of Child Marriage In India Fuels Fertility Risks"

Despite India's economic and educational reform efforts in the last decade, the prevalence of child marriage remains high, fueling the risks of multiple unwanted pregnancies, pregnancy terminations and female sterilizations, according to a new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researcher.

The study, led by Anita Raj, PhD, associate professor of Social & Behavioral Sciences at BUSPH, found that nearly half of adult Indian women, aged 20 to 24, were married before the legal age of 18, and that those child marriages were significantly associated with poor fertility outcomes, such as unwanted and terminated pregnancies, repeat childbirths in less than 24 months, and increased sterilization rates.

The study was published online in The Lancet and will be printed in an upcoming issue.

"The prevalence of child marriage remains unacceptably high," Dr. Raj and colleagues wrote. "These results suggest that neither recent progress in economic and women's development, nor existing policy or programmatic efforts to prevent child marriage and promote maternal and child health, have been sufficient to reduce the prevalence of child marriage in India to that of most other developing nations."

The study found that 44.5 percent of women ages 22 to 24 were married before age 18. More than one in five – 22.6 percent – were married before age 16, while 2.6 percent were married before age 13.

India, the largest and most prosperous nation in south Asia, raised the legal age for marriage to 18 in 1978. In the past 15 years, national policy efforts have been developed to increase educational and economic opportunities for girls and women, reduce child marriage and expand family-planning support.

The authors said that while there had been a slight reduction – 5 percent -- in the rate of child marriage compared with national data from 1998-99, the continued prevalence of the practice and its association with poor fertility outcomes highlights "the crucial need for increased family-planning interventions tailored to married adolescents."

"National economic development gains have inadequately targeted the most rural and poor populations, which might have hindered further reduction in child marriage," they wrote.

The study found that women who married younger than 18 were significantly more likely to report no contraceptive use before their first childbirth than were those who married as adults. Nearly half – 48.4 percent – of women who were married as children reported giving birth before they turned 18. Women married as children also were more likely to have had repeat childbirths in less than 24 months and to have had three or more childbirths, than those married as adults.

Child marriage also was associated with an increased prevalence of unwanted pregnancies and an increased prevalence of pregnancy termination, defined as miscarriage, abortion or stillbirth.

The study found sterilization rates were higher for women married as children than for those married as adults – 19.5 percent, compared to 4.6 percent. Overall, more than one in eight women, or 13.4 percent, had been sterilized.

Of those not sterilized, more than three-quarters reported no present contraception use, the research found.

"Increased prevalence of sterilization in young women married as children could be attributable to these women having their desired number of children at an earlier age, as indicated by their high fertility," the authors wrote. "However, our findings suggest that sterilization might also be the consequence of inadequate fertility control, which is evident from the increased risk of unwanted pregnancies in women married as children."

The authors recommend that existing intervention programs should be broadened to emphasize contraception other than sterilization, especially among young women who are married as children. They said such interventions also should include husbands and in-laws, "who might have more control of family planning."

Other authors on the study were Niranjan Saggurti, PhD, of the Population Council, New Delhi, India; Donta Balaiah, PhD, of the National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Indian Council of Medical Research, Mumbai, India; and Jay G. Silverman, PhD, associate professor of the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health.

The study was funded by a grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Indian Council on Medical Research Indo-US Program on Maternal and Child Health and Human Development.

"High Prevalence Of Child Marriage In India"

A large proportion of women in India are married when they are still children and researchers have warned that such unions carry high risks of unwanted pregnancies and female sterilization.

UNICEF defines child marriage as marriage before 18 years of age and such practice has been increasingly viewed as a violation of human rights. Marriage at a very young age carries grave health consequences for both the girl and her children and it is well documented that adolescent mothers are more likely to experience complications such as obstetric fistula.

Researchers from UK analyzed data from a national family health survey that was conducted from 2005 to 2006 in India. The survey involved 22,807 Indian women who were aged between 20 and 24 at the time of the survey. Of these, 23 percent were married before they were 16, 44 percent were married when they were between 16 and 17, and 2.6 percent were married before they turned 13.

Women who were married as children remained significantly more likely to have had three or more childbirths, a repeat childbirth in less than 24 months, multiple unwanted pregnancies, pregnancy termination, and sterilization. Nearly all the women who were married before they reached the legal age of 18 reported that they used no contraception before they had their first child.

India introduced laws against child marriage in 1929 and set the legal age for marriage at 12 years. The legal age for marriage was increased to 18 years in 1978. While the practice of child marriage has decreased slowly, its prevalence remains unacceptably high, and rural, poor, less educated girls and those from central or eastern regions of the country are most vulnerable to the practice.

The findings indicate that child marriage affects not only adolescents aged 16 to 17 years, but also large numbers of pubescent girls aged 14 to 15 years, and show that existing policies and economic development gains have failed to help rural and poor populations. They attributed the high numbers of sterilization in young women married as children to them having their desired number of children at an earlier age. But it was also indicative of inadequate fertility control, which was evident from the high numbers of unwanted pregnancies among these women.

The researchers warned that sterilization might reduce condom use in such couples, which would heighten the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Child-marriage prevention programs should be broadened to include interventions for women married as children and men who might pursue children for marriage.

"Woman Killed After Refusing Sex"

Tripla was born in the jungles of eastern India. But she died hundreds of miles from home, in the scrubby fields around Delhi, murdered by her husband because she refused to have sex with his brother.

She was born into a penniless family. So when a man came looking for a wife and offered £170 for her, her parents accepted.

She never saw her home or her family again. Her husband took her to his village in Mewat district, an hour's drive from Delhi. There is a shortage of women in the area, because of the practice of female foeticide.

They lived together as husband and wife for six months. Then Ajmer ordered her to sleep with his brother, who could not afford a wife.

When Tripla refused, Ajmer dragged her to a field near the village and beheaded her with a sickle.

Tripla's story was uncovered by Rishi Kant, a women's rights campaigner. When he told her parents in Jharkhand what had happened, her mother wept. "But what could we do?" she asked him. "We are facing so much poverty we had no choice but to sell her." Her husband is now facing trial for murder. Hers is one case among thousands. Every week, in the villages of Mewat alone, Mr Kant rescues more women who have been bought as wives and face lives of abuse.

"India Abolishes Husbands' 'RIGHT' To Rape Wife"

For the first time, women in India have legal protection against abuse in their own homes under a law which came into force yesterday. It is the first time Indian law has recognised marital rape, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse of a woman by her husband as crimes. India is a country where the streets are safe - but a woman is not safe inside her own home.

There is a remarkably low rate of violent crime against strangers in most of the big cities, and it is safe to walk the streets of Mumbai or Bangalore late at night. But every six hours, a young married woman is burnt to death, beaten to death, or driven to suicide by emotional abuse from her husband, figures show.

More than two-thirds of married women in India aged between 15 and 49 have been beaten, raped or forced to provide sex, according to the UN Population Fund.

One of the most common causes of violence against women is dowry-related. In most of India, women's families are still expected to provide their husbands with dowries when they marry.

Husbands - or their families - who are dissatisfied with the dowry beat, emotionally abuse and often even kill the women.

Last year 6,787 cases were recorded of women murdered by their husbands or their husbands' families because of their dowries. Many die in "stove burnings": set alight by husbands or in-laws who then claim it was a kitchen accident.

Domestic violence against women is already illegal, under a 1983 law. But the new law marks the first time India has recognised marital rape. Previously it was impossible to prosecute a man for raping his wife, which was considered to be within his conjugal rights.

The new law also for the first time recognises emotional, verbal and economic abuse of a woman by her husband as a crime. Punishment can include a jail sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to 20,000 rupees (£230). Existing law already provides longer sentences for physical violence.

But more importantly, the new law also provides a share of an abusive husband's earnings and property for the victim, and medical costs.

Crucially, it also guarantees abused wives the right to continue living in the family house. Houses are still shared by extended families in much of India, and abused wives are often thrown out by their husbands' in-laws, leaving them destitute and homeless.

"It's going to orient women to stand up for their own rights and take the necessary precautions to empower themselves," said Renuka Chowdhury, minister of women and child development. Previously many women are believed to have been afraid to speak out because they risk losing their husband's financial support for themselves and their children.

But concerns remain that even under the new law, many cases of abuse will still go unreported, unless attitudes towards domestic abuse change. The UN Population Fund's 2005 report found that 70 per cent of Indian women believed wife-beating was justified under certain circumstances, including refusal to provide sex, or preparing dinner late.

"55 Year Old Man Arrested For Raping Mentally Challenged Girl"

The police have arrested a 55-year-old man on charges of raping a 21-year-old mentally challenged girl here yesterday.

According to the police the girl, was his neighbour, and the accused, identified as Varghese, committed the heinous crime on September 27, after which he absconded. He was later arrested by the police following a tip off from the P.P.M junction at Kaliackavila.

Varghese has been arrested and has been remanded to judicial custody. A case has been registered under section 376 of the IPC.

"Youth Convicted For Rape"

A city court has sentenced a 20-year-old youth in connection with the rape of a minor girl here yesterday.

According to the police the accused, identified, as Abulla was found guilty of raping a 10-year-old girl in K.G. Halli in 1998. He had reportedly sneaked into her house and gagged her before raping her. He had even allegedly threatened to kill her if she spoke about this ghastly incident with anyone.

He was sentenced to 10 years RI and was also asked to pay a fine of Rs. 5,000.

"(Young) Adults' Nude Pictures On The Net"

Mumbai police Crime Branch arrested a Belgium national on Sunday for allegedly clicking nude photos of children and posting them on the Internet. The operation was carried out by the Crime Branch Unit 9 of Bandra.

A holiday metropolitan magistrate has remanded Weldela Noro Gayton, the accused, to two day's police custody.

According to the police, Gayton used to lure poor street and slum children with money and chocolates and promises of giving them modelling assignments and then take them to his 11th floor rented office-cum-residence. There he used to make them strip and after clicking their nude pictures he used to upload them on the Internet. He was staying in the Pacific Building in Andheri (West).

The police has seized Gayton's passport, a camera, a laptop and a memory chip. The police has found strong evidence from the memory chip.

Now the police is trying to find out whether any of the children were sexually assualted or indulged in sex trafficking. They are also trying to find out whether he worked alone or was a part of any gang.

"Double Trouble For The Award-Winning Doctor"

Just a day after cosmetic surgeon Dr. Vijay Sharma was arrested and later released on bail for allegedly molesting a television reporter, who had gone to his clinic for a story on cosmetic surgery, another woman came forward with a molestation complaint against him.

After this complaint Sharma, was re-arrested. According to the complainant’s husband a year ago the complainant got silicon breast implants and liposuction surgeries done by Sharma. Then when she would go back to Sharma, after she developed some complications on six or seven occasions Sharma kissed her and took her to the bathroom and stripped her, complainant alleged.

Sharma was earlier arrested on Saturday after a TV journalist accused him of molested. He was charged under sections 354 and 506 (2) of the Indian Penal Code for outraging modesty and criminal intimidation with threat of death respectively.

Sharma has been a surgeon since 1987 and is mentioned in he Limca Book of Records for having conducted the most number of plastic surgeries in India. He also received best Asian cosmetic surgeon award at the hands of Michael Jackson.

"CID To Investigate The Akola Sex Racket Case"

The much talked about sex racket case, that has swayed Akola, has been taken over by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Wednesday.

The racket came to light when an 18-year-old woman alleged that she had been forced to offer sexual favours to a lot of government officials and businessmen, including the Akola district police chief Deepak Pandey.

However, the woman later withdrew allegations against Pandey, an IPS officer, who has been involved in other controversies in the past. Later still, she said that she had indeed been taken to Pandey by the racket kingpin Nitu Takwat but was excused as she was unwell and another woman had been arranged to offer sexual favours to Pandey.

According to the police sources, the Home Department had asked Pandey to proceed on leave to make sure that his presence did not hamper the inquiry.

Pandey denied all the charges and said that he knew about the racket a month ago and had also ordered an inquiry.

In 2004 the then aide-de-camp to the governor was charged with misbehaving with a traffic constable, making him stand in the scorching heat on the Raj Bhavan and threatening to transfer him. In November 2004, Pandey was suspended after his wife Dr. Nidhi Pandey, an IAS official, alleged physical torture and demands for dowry from her husband.

"Another Rape In Goa"

A 52 year old non-resident Indian (NRI) women, based in new york, has alleged that she was raped in a five-star hotel in Goa on march 7.

The women who was in a hotel said that she was dragged into a room from a stairway & raped by an unknown person.

Panaji police have registered a case after they received the communication from Delhi police, with whom the woman has filed the complaint.

The police complaint was lodged on march 17, when she went to delhi. Goa police is in touch with Delhi counterparts to get more details about the victim who was raped.

Panaji police confirming the receipt of complaint said that they will call the victim to Goa as she is required for a medical examination.

"New Opportunities For Women Draw Anger And Abuse From Men In India"

Every morning, Gitanjali Chaudhry, 17, walks to her high school through a labyrinth of temples and vegetable markets. Along with her books, she carries an Indian version of Mace -- a bag of chili powder and a pouch of safety pins -- to fend off the often boorish men who loiter in the narrow passageways.

"We learned that women have to be brave," said Chaudhry, a loquacious, ponytailed girl who wants to be a lawyer. She has started attending increasingly popular neighborhood classes on self-defense for women.

Chaudhry is one of the brightest students in her working-class district. But since several local men started following her to class, she sometimes stays home now. She has friends who have been raped or are constant victims of "Eve teasing," when men on the street spew lewd comments or aggressively paw women's bodies.

"We thought opportunities were getting better for young Indian women. But the harassment only seems to be getting worse," Chaudhry said, as friends gathered at a recent "self-respect and self-esteem session" held by the nonprofit Smile Foundation.

For India's middle-class urban women, the past decade has brought unprecedented opportunities to advance in a social order long dominated by men. But a powerful male backlash has accompanied the women's revolution, an upwelling of resentment that has expressed itself in sexual violence and harassment.

In India today, women are working in lucrative retail and technology jobs, sometimes in cities far from their home towns. Economic independence has, in some cases, allowed them to delay marriage and early childbirth. Social mobility among India's young is also undermining the country's traditional joint-family system, in which couples are expected to move in with the husband's parents. The shift has empowered the modern Indian wife, freeing her from the scourge of the bossy, nosy mother-in-law.

At the same time, however, the number of reported instances of domestic violence, rape and dowry killings is spiking in South Asian cities, according to women's groups, demographers and sociologists.

Violence against women is the fastest-growing crime in India, a recent study concluded. Every 26 minutes a woman is molested, every 34 minutes a rape takes place, and every 43 minutes a woman is kidnapped, according to the Home Ministry's National Crime Records Bureau.

With about 19,000 reported rapes a year, India ranks fifth highest in that category out of 84 countries studied, according to a 2006 report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. But women's groups say fewer than 2 percent of women who have been sexually assaulted in India report the crime to police, largely because the social stigma attached to rape may undermine a woman's chance for marriage.

The United States, where the reporting of sexual attacks is more common, ranks highest in the world, with 95,000 reported rapes each year.

In the past few months, newspapers here have dubbed New Delhi the "rape capital" of South Asia, with more than 330 rape and molestation cases reported in the first four months of 2008, including one high-profile case in which a 12-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by a Delhi police constable and an accomplice. Experts predict that the number of sexual attacks in 2008 may exceed the total in 2007, when 544 rapes were reported in the city. "The latest statistics are terrifying. And it clearly points to male rage," said Shobhaa Dé, a novelist and popular social commentator. "Underneath our incredible social change, the Indian male is experiencing nothing short of a psychological frenzy."

Part of the problem is also that men's expectations of women have not kept pace with the changes women are experiencing at home and at work. Many matrimonial ads in India's Sunday newspapers -- often written by parents -- include descriptions of potential brides as "economically independent, but homely." That's code for a working woman who can happily organize a proper 10-course Indian dinner even after a long day at the office. It's a fantasy that many urbanized Indian women are rejecting, much to the dismay of many men.

Despite recent growth, unemployment remains high in India, topping 7 percent. Sixty percent of those who do work are self-employed farmers and often very poor, according to World Bank data. Men who earn little or are unable to find work can be resentful when they see women finding well-paid office jobs, women's groups say.

The change in power has been too fast for some Indian men, whose intense curiosity about women can often be traced back to a segregated youth. Some boys hanging out in Chaudhry's neighborhood said they had spent more time looking at photographs of women in magazines then with girls they knew and were interested in.

"I was never really taught how to act around a girl," said Raja Kumar, 21, who works odd jobs on Chaudhry's block. "I thought teasing was the way to get them to notice me."

Standing nearby was Ram Swarup, 70, the neighborhood elder, a graying retired laundry worker who has six children, four of them boys. He said that whenever his wife had a girl, he asked her to try again for a son.

Because of the traditional custom of paying high dowries to a groom's parents, he said, girls were seen in the past as a heavy burden. "No one was happy about their birth," he said. "They therefore got little respect in India."

"When we were growing up, girls were never sent to school. Usually they were married off right away," Swarup added. "I liked being the breadwinner and king of my house. But India is changing now. My daughters-in-law work and think they can therefore be bosses and queens of the house. Some men find it a struggle. We are trying to adjust to the new ways of girls venturing forth. It may be better in the end, since the women now earn money."

In South Asia, the contrast between the achievements of female political leaders and the lowly status of ordinary women has its roots in dynastic traditions. Professions here are inherited, in politics as in industry. In India, former prime minister Indira Gandhi came into politics through family connections, as did former prime minister Khaleda Zia in Bangladesh. In Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto inherited her station in politics from her father and mentor, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

In India, women were urged by men to take to the streets during the country's struggle for independence from Britain. But despite the relative abundance of female leaders in South Asia, many women in the region suffer from profound inequalities in access to education and health care, women's advocates say.

According to a study published in the British medical journal the Lancet in 2006, almost 10 million female fetuses were aborted in India in the preceding 20 years.

The practice -- outlawed, though the law is seldom enforced -- is on the rise partly because more people can afford sonograms.

"If India is really going to become a world superpower, it has to stop killing its girls in the womb," said Divya Kulshreshtha, who runs a Smile Foundation mobile women's health clinic. "If India wants to shine, then its women should be allowed to shine."

Bangladesh, where more than half a million women have gained employment in the garment industry, has also seen a startling increase in violence against women -- a development some attribute to working women's increased willingness to report attacks.

"In many ways, the South Asian woman is out of the oven and into the frying pan," said Ayesha Khanam, president of the Bangladesh Women's Council, which tracks violence against women across the subcontinent. "They bring home money, they share in power in the society. But they are also doing something very powerful that may enrage men: toppling the old family structure."

With South Asian society in transition, the Smile Foundation decided to reach out to men with humorous neighborhood plays and education programs.

On a recent Saturday afternoon in New Delhi, shopkeepers leaned out their windows and groups of boys gathered on rooftops to watch a street-theater skit, along with Chaudhry and her friends fresh from an empowerment session.

Wearing a droopy mustache and rubbing his fake potbelly, a man pretended to lean lecherously against a graceful young woman riding a public bus. The audience exploded with laughter as she moved away.

In a more somber skit, a man tried to buy his niece's affection with biscuits. Then he raped her.

The audience stood silent, stunned. Some women started to cry.

Afterward, Divya Yadav, 20, the female lead, complained that she herself is harassed daily during her bus trips home from her performances.

"Talking directly to the men is the first step," she said, turning to one of her fans, Lalit Kumar, an 18-year-old high school student who had formed a youth group for boys who wanted to help.

Kumar and his friends offered to escort the actress home. Things still weren't safe, they agreed.

" Civil Unrest"

Demonstrations can occur spontaneously, and pose risks to travelers' personal safety and disrupt transportation systems and city services. In response to such events, Indian authorities occasionally impose curfews and/or restrict travel. Political rallies and demonstrations in India have the potential for violence, especially immediately preceding and following elections. U.S. citizens are urged to avoid demonstrations and rallies. In addition, religious and inter-caste violence occasionally occurs unpredictably.

Episodes of civil unrest are relatively common in India. Some have resulted from separatist movements, where as others have been caused by clashes between ethnic and religious groups and different castes. Violent separatist conflicts have taken place in the states of Assam, Bihar and West Bengal. Conflicts between ethnic and religious groups have resulted in riots across various states between Hindus and Muslims. In addition, violence against Dalits (formerly called "Untouchables") has been widespread across various states both in rural and urban areas. Increasing linguistic and cultural identities have also led to conflicts against outsiders in Assam, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.

"International And Transnational Terrorism"

There have been random acts of terrorism over recent years in various regions of India. The Jammu and Kashmir region in particular has been the scene of considerable violence, parts of which can be characterized as being a semi-permissive security environment. Attacks throughout India often occur in public places without regard to collateral causalities and damage. International terrorist groups have claimed responsibiiity for large wide-scale attacks in India, such as the New Delhi Market blasts in October 2005 and the Mumbai train bombings in July 2006.

" Regional Terrorism And Organized Crime"

The most common regional terrorist threat is from the Naxalite communist movement within India. The Naxalite violence is primarily concentrated in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttaranchal, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. In the past, police action in these states has compelled Naxalites to enter Rayagada, Gajapati, Koraput and Malkangiri districts in Orissa for shelter. There are also reports that several hundred Naxalites have moved into the forests of Garhwa district in Jharkhand.

"Overall Crime And Safety Situation"

India, like any country, has a full range of criminal activity. Petty crime, especially theft of personal property, is common. Pickpockets can be very adept, and women have reported having their purse straps cut or the bottom of their purses slit without their knowledge. Theft of U.S. passports is quite common, particularly in major tourist areas. Some westerners, including U.S. citizens, have been the victims of robberies, rapes or other violent attacks. The common thread for most attacks has been that the victims were alone. Because U.S. citizens' purchasing power is comparatively large relative to that of the general population, travelers also should always exercise modesty and caution in their financial dealings in India to reduce the chance of being a target for robbery or other serious crime. Scam artists operate in many major Indian cities, selling rugs or other expensive items that may not be of the quality promised. Travelers should deal only with reputable businesses and should not give their credit cards or money unless they are certain goods being shipped to them are the goods they purchased. Travelers should be aware of a number of other scams that have been perpetrated against foreign travelers, particularly in the Jaipur area. The scams generally target younger travelers and involve suggestions that money can be made by privately transporting gems or gold (both of which can result in arrest) or by taking delivery abroad of expensive carpets, supposedly while avoiding customs duties. The scam artists describe the theoretical profits that can be made upon delivery of the goods. Most such schemes require that the traveler first put up a "deposit" to either show "sincerity" or as a "do," or as the "wholesale cost." All travelers are strongly cautioned that the schemes invariably result in the traveler being fleeced. The "gems" or "gold" are nearly always fake and if they were real, the traveler could be subject to arrest. Such schemes often pull the unsuspecting traveler in over the course of several days and begin with a new "friend" who offers to show the traveler the sights so that the "friend" or another new acquaintance can "practice his English." Offers of cheap lodgings and meals also can place the traveler in the physical custody of the scam artist and can leave the traveler at the mercy of threats or even physical coercion. The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported immediately to local police and the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

"College Reels Under Crime Fear"

Repeated instances of snatching and theft at the campus have led to insecurity among women students of Viharilal College of Home and Social Science in South Kolkata. At the college hostel, students are living under constant fear, said a group of students.

"We are feeling insecure on the campus. Incidents of thefts and snatching have increased in the last few months and more and more outsiders are seen on the campus," a student said.

Nearly 10 days ago, an outsider snatched a girl's mobile and ran away. The snatcher also bit the girl on the hand when she tried to resist.

In another incident, some anti-social elements took away iron rods from a construction site in the college premises and threatened the security guard with dire consequences when he tried to stop them.

Interestingly, there is no boundary wall between Alipore Multipurpose Girls High School and the Viharilal College located on 20 Judges Court Road at Alipore, also known as the home science campus of the University of Calcutta. The boundary is demarcated mostly by dense bushes and tress.

According to the students, the school side is vulnerable as outsiders can easily enter and exit from that side.

"We have informed the university authorities about the security lapses. The police are keeping a vigil at night. We hope that the situation will improve in a few days," said Shanta Dutta, principal of the college.

The university authorities are also insisting that barbed wire fencing should be put to guard the boundary of the college.

They said that complaints have been lodged with the police and the local councillor has been approached for help in this regard.

"One lakh Malay Indian Youth Linked To Crime"

The Malaysian Government has information that over 100,000 Indian youth are involved in crime, including theft, robbery, distributing drugs, gangsterism and murder.

Human Resources
Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam disclosed this recently, and said lack of jobs, guidance and the influence of friends were major contributors to the social problems.

Dr Subramaniam, who is also Malaysian Indian Congress secretary-general, was speaking to reporters after launching a building fund donation drive for the Malacca Indians Education, Economic, Welfare and Cultural Development Association (Minda).

He added that the Indian community and religious leaders should pay serious attention to organising more youth development programmes, The Star reported.

Dr Subramaniam also said that plantation owners must provide housing quarters for their workers.

He said he had instructed his staff to hold talks and find an amicable solution with the owners who had not provided the necessary housing.

He said the ministry would also talk to Syarikat Perumahan Nasional Berhad after the plantation owners have given their approval for the building of housing quarters.