NEW DELHI // India's president yesterday signed off on tough new laws to deal with sexual violence against women. But some women's rights groups say the government went too far when it included the death penalty for extreme cases, such as when the victim is killed.
Kavita Krishnan, the secretary of the All India Progressive Women's Association, said the version signed by the Indian president, Pranab Mukherjee, ignored recommendations against the death penalty made to cabinet by a committee set up to examine the issue.
The death penalty will encourage rapists to be more inclined to kill a victim "because she won't be able to testify", Ms Krishnan said yesterday.
"The severity of a sentence does not mean justice for women," she added. "The death penalty has never been central to what women's groups have been asking for. This is not going to help with justice in all cases."
She said the three-member committee did not recommend the death penalty, even in cases where a rape leads to death of the victim or leaves her in a "persistent vegetative state." Instead, she said, the report stated that "there is a strong submission that the seeking of the death penalty would be a regressive step in the field of sentencing and reformation".
The December 16 gang rape of a 23-year-old New Delhi student, who later died of her injuries, prompted nationwide outrage and demands to improve India's legal response to sexual violence against women.
In response, the government set up a three-member committee to examine the issue. It made recommendations to the Indian cabinet, which then passed its recommendations to Mr Mukherjee.
Stalking, voyeurism and acid attacks will now be considered punishable under criminal law. The minimum sentence for gang rape, rape of a minor, rape by policemen or a person in authority will be doubled to 20 years from 10, and can be extended to life without parole. Under the current law, a rapist faces a term of seven to 10 years. But committee recommendations to reclassify marital rape and the prosecution of armed forces personnel who commit sexual assaults, were not accepted.
Based on submissions by groups such as the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network, the report by the committee recommended that security forces, such as those who patrol Kashmir and India's north eastern states, be brought under the authority of criminal law rather than army law to ensure that allegations of rape by soldiers are investigated and prosecuted.
"What kind of democracy is this where voices of 45 million people living in north-east India are denied justice on issues of rape and women's safety?" asked Binalakshmi Nepram, an activist and founder of the gun survivors network. "We had worked very hard and submitted our recommendations to [the] committee to ensure there is a special need to look at this [issue].
Ms Krishnan warned that the death penalty will make it even harder for rape victims to come forward. She saud that, in India, most rapes are committed by friends, relatives or acquaintances. Often, the family of the rapist and the community will pressure the victim to keep quiet or retract her statement.
"The pressure will be redoubled by the family to not file a complaint or pursue a court case, if it comes down to the fact that a relative who raped will be killed," Ms Krishnan said.
The new laws will go into effect if parliament ratifies them within within six weeks of the start of the next session, which begins February 21.
Last week, scores of protesters gathered near India's parliament demanding the death penalty for the six men accused in the student's death in December. The protesters carried placards saying, ``Give us Justice, Hang the Rapists,'' and shouted slogans before conducting a mock hanging of the men who are facing trial in a special court in New Delhi.
sbhattacharya@thenational.ae with additional reports from Associated Press
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Company%20profile%20
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
