LIC employees urge central and state governments to ensure safety of women and girl children of country 

Ludhiana: On the eve of 7th Anniversary of Nirbhaya incident, as per the call of All India Insurance Employees Association, under the banner of NZIEA - Northern Zone Insurance Employees' Associates, Gate meetings were organized in front of all the Offices of LIC under Ludhiana Division. Addressing the gathering the speakers apprised that the Nirbhaya tragedy shook the moral conscience of the nation and the country erupted into massive protests demanding justice for her. This resulted in Parliament making amendments to the criminal law and speedy trial of such cases on the recommendation of Justice J.S. Verma Committee. A new legislation was enacted doubling prison terms for rapists to 20 years and also provided for the death penalty in cases that cause death of the victim or leaves her in a vegetative state.  But this has not stemmed the tide of new cases of rapes being reported, almost daily. A mere two weeks before this 7th anniversary, case of a young veterinary doctor from Hyderabad shook the nation.  It was followed by the death of Unnao rape victim who was set ablaze while she was on her way to a court hearing.  We wanted Nirbhaya case to be the catalyst that brought an end to such rape incidents.  But even after 7 years, the nation has miserably failed in this with the surfacing of Unnao, Kathua, Ranchi rape incidents and all the others that we probably don’t even know about.  
There is a growing horror and anguish over the assaults on the daughters of India.  According to statistics, a rape occurs every 20 minutes in India.  The system with its long delays acts as a protector to rape-accused. The judicial system is tarnished for its delays and huge backlogs in cases of crimes against women. This dismal picture fuels the public demands for instant justice. This public anger, created by a rotten system, is manipulated by guilty governments and the police to conceal their own failure to prevent the crime in the first place and ensure speedy justice.  And the encounter killing in Telengana is a classic case in this regard.
The speakers further said that, the responsibility and accountability of governments in ensuring social and physical infrastructures to prevent crimes against women should not be lost in the outrage to hang the accused. The Government at the Centre and the various State Governments should strictly implement the comprehensive measures as suggested by the Verma Committee 6 years ago. It is also a matter of concern that the Nirbhaya Fund for women’s safety is not being used fully.    
They called the members to join their hands with the women’s movement and democratic forces that launch protests and struggles against sexual violence and urge the Central and State Governments to ensure the safety of women and girl children of the country.