News of the Week: Gang Rape in India

In a village of North India, three people have been arrested in relation to gang raping and hanging of two girls. The two girls were cousins, aged 16 and 14. Their bodies hung from mango trees in their village for 15 hours while villagers mourned and protested around them before being taken down. 

Autopsies of the bodies revealed that the girls had both been raped and then strangled before being hung. The families of the victims accused three brothers for this tragedy, two of which have been arrested so far. The third brother is still missing. 

Families within the village are incredibly frustrated with police as they have been pushing for more protection at night for several years. In relation directly to this case, one police officer has been arrested due to his negligence during the time of the incident.

The two girls had left their house at night to go pee in the fields nearby when they were grabbed. Almost half a billion Indians are lacking easy access to toilets, and is the reason behind many kidnapping and rape cases.

Rape in India is a major issue, especially due to restriction of women's rights. Many women feel too scared do anything about an attack, prompting more attacks to happen.

India's new prime minister, Narendra Modi has said that one of his first goals is to help with women's safety, especially in rural India. A lot of work has to be done until women feel safe though, considering that this brutal attack happened during an action so routine.

References:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/30/world/asia/india-gang-rape/
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/01/india-three-confess-gang-rape-murder-girls