India and sexual assault

In the wake of several well-publicized incidents of sexual assault against Indian nationals, on March 24 the president of India signed a bill that greatly expands the penalties for a range of crimes, many of them dealing with sexual assault and human trafficking.

The new law expands the definitions of rape and sexual assault and increases the penalties for those crimes. It also addresses criminal punishment for, among other things, stalking, voyeurism, groping and acid attacks. For the first time, human trafficking is outlawed, with penalties for both the trafficker and those who employ people who have been trafficked. The law went into effect immediately but must be ratified by Parliament within six months.

On March 16, a Swiss tourist and her husband were on an independent cycling trip in the Madhya Pradesh region of India when they were robbed and the woman sexually assaulted. Five men were arrested for the crime, and Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued an advisory for women traveling in India.

The US State Department advises women to avoid traveling alone on public transport after dark, to go only to well-known venues for evening entertainment, to respect local customs of dressing conservatively and to use prepaid taxis from hotels and airports and not hail taxis on the street.