Study of crime against women: Role of forensic medicine.

ABSTRACT

Due to rise in crowds naturally there is fall in cultural values and escalation in crimes. Crime against women is on the rise especially sexual crimes. Though crime is prevalent in every country and society, most of them either goes undetected or unreported. As per National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), New Delhi, a crime take place every 17 seconds, among them one dowry death every 77 minutes, one crime against women every 3 minutes and finally one rape or sexual assault every 27 minutes. With above crime scenario, Forensic Medicine plays an important role in helping to prevent, early detection, providing expert medicolegal and scientific reports at earliest, which will result in quick trial and instant administration of justice to victims. Due to lack of legal or medicolegal and scientific awareness and knowledge among victims, investigating agencies, medical and paramedical staff, the end result is either ‘justice hurried is justice buried’ or ‘justice delayed is justice denied’ to the victim. There is need to give importance to Forensic Nursing, impart medicolegal knowledge to paramedical and health workers in rural and semi-urban levels as to how to handle case of crimes committed against women and report them. One accused acquitted means breeding of hundred criminals. Prevention and detection is better than conviction.