Rape: A Social Vice in India

Rape is a forceful sexual activity against the will of the victim. Rape is a serious offence which has first registered even before the Indian Penal Code, 1860 was drafted. Earlier during those days it was used to protect women below the age of 10 years and later revised to the age of 15 in 1940. According to the statistics released by India’s National Crime Records Bureau released in the year 2022 an average of 90 rape cases were registered on a day which is very disheartening to see even in this 21st century. Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code deals with the definition of Rape and Section 376 and its clauses deal with the punishments for rape. The main objective is to study the reasons and effects of rape on the offenders as well as the victims in our society. The research question here is Whether Indian laws are stringent and efficient in preventing rape? The researcher has followed the empirical research method using a convenient sampling method. The sample size of the study is 105. The result observed from the study is that most people are aware of the laws available to the victims of rape and assault and the laws enacted by the government that help make society assault-free. The suggestion of this study is to increase awareness of rape and make people aware of the rules available and educate children from a very young age.