Inclusion of Femicide as an Offense under the Indian Penal Code

 Dated: 02-02-2023 

Dr. T. Sumathy (a) ThamizhachiThangapandian (Chennai South):Violence against women isn’t just an onslaught on their minds, bodies and souls; rather an expression of a misguided sense of supremacy men think they hold over women. Whether it is the incidents of strangulation and mutilation of a woman in Delhi by her partner or the immolation of a 19-year-old in Jharkhand by her stalker; ghastly incidents of gendered violence are brought to light frequently. This form of violence, referred to as femicide, is conveniently eluded in the criminal justice system and not even recorded separately under the National Crime Records Bureau reports. The Indian Penal Code doesn’t include a comprehensive definition of femicide; loose references are found only in the context of dowry-related deaths and domestic violence.

Factors like associated stigmas and reluctance to report all the more scream the need for authentic data collection, a precursor to developing effective policies. Globally, the significance of the issue was recognized after the United Nations called for the counting of femicide cases. Thus, I implore the Government to initiate necessary action to include femicide in the Indian Penal Code and facilitate reliable data collection to aid effectual policy-making.