Swiss Tourist Gang-Raped In India While Camping With Her Husband

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Re: Swiss Tourist Gang-Raped In India While Camping With Her Husband

If I left the resort in Mexico and went off into some lawless town, would the officials not partially question my actions should I become a victim of a heinous crime?

Not sure about 'sharing blame' but it is wise to do research when travelling in a developing nation - especially as a woman - on the safety and security issues. Having seen the media's uproar on the Delhi gang rape, the world was made aware of the frequency of rape incidents in India in a renewed light; so naturally tourists would and should be ultra cautious and play it extra safe. Venturing off in the middle of nowhere in any part of the world has its risks - yet alone a nation where true gender equality and power-balance is still a struggle. So I agree the tourists should be more careful.

Again, by no means am I blaming the victim but I can understand the officials' frustrations when tourists expose their vulnerabilities unknowingly.

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Re: Swiss Tourist Gang-Raped In India While Camping With Her Husband

Agree with above. If the Swiss couple had camped in the middle of the american ghetto at night, I guarantee you they would have been robbed.

the Swiss couple is a little dumb to be camping in remote rural places in 3rd world countries.

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Re: Swiss Tourist Gang-Raped In India While Camping With Her Husband

Perhaps this British woman was more sensible, in India. Having asked for a wake-up call at her hotel at 4am, at 4am the manager of the hotel began knocking on her room door, and when she opened it he offered to give her a massage. She jumped off the hotel balcony to escape, hurting her leg.

BBC News - UK tourist jumps from Agra balcony ‘after massage offer’

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Re: Swiss Tourist Gang-Raped In India While Camping With Her Husband

^ complimentary massage with wake up call :confused:

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Re: Swiss Tourist Gang-Raped In India While Camping With Her Husband

Nothing quite says “Welcome to India” like a dangerously creepy hotel manager.

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Re: Swiss Tourist Gang-Raped In India While Camping With Her Husband

I think there might be pronunciation issue with the manager. pronouncing message as massage

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Re: Swiss Tourist Gang-Raped In India While Camping With Her Husband

Indian brand Image is at stake now.

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Re: Swiss Tourist Gang-Raped In India While Camping With Her Husband

May be it was his pronunciation of “D” in InDia which scared her.

BBC News - UK tourist jumps from Agra balcony ‘after massage offer’
The Foreign Office recently updated its advice for women visiting India, saying they should use caution and avoid travelling alone on public transport, or in taxis or auto-rickshaws, especially at night.

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Re: Swiss Tourist Gang-Raped In India While Camping With Her Husband

I think it is a classical miscommunication case…message vs massage..poor manager might be saying “i am here to give you a message” and message being the wake up call …but with his accent, she might have thought he wants to give him a massage..lol

anyway, proper investigation needs to be done before prosecuting that manager.

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Re: Swiss Tourist Gang-Raped In India While Camping With Her Husband

Okay but what miscommunication would occur when you say, "go away" or "leave" or "get out".
She tried to get rid of him before jumping out the window.

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Re: Swiss Tourist Gang-Raped In India While Camping With Her Husband

I'm glad to see this post hasn't stooped to such a low point such as the usual nation and religion bashing.

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Re: Swiss Tourist Gang-Raped In India While Camping With Her Husband

not sure...i am not defending anyone..just sayin that miscommunication cud be an option..message and massage are way too close for an indian or a desi to mispronounce..that is all

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Re: Swiss Tourist Gang-Raped In India While Camping With Her Husband

Sad news.

New India Rape Case: Rape in India is Encouraged by Poverty and Gender Inequality

Thirteen men were detained but none have been charged. Six have already been released. A reporter described the region as “known for its banditry” and “fairly lawless and it is also very poor.”
…

The poorest and the lower castes, especially the Dalits, formerly known as “untouchables,” are the most vulnerable. SR Darapuri, vice-president of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties in Uttar Pradesh, says, “90% of [rape] victims were Dalits and 85% of Dalit rape victims were underage girls.”

He also said, “the police do not want to register cases because they have been told by their political bosses to keep the crime figures low” so only one out of 10 cases is reported.
Attitudes against rape are held back by older ideas. The female Chief Minister of West Bengal said,](http://www.sify.com/news/mamata-s-bizarre-reason-for-rise-of-rapes-news-national-mkqhlQcbigj.html) “earlier if men and women would hold hands, they would get caught by parents and reprimanded but now everything is so open … Everyday rape incidents are being highlighted as if the entire state has become the land of rapists.” In 2009 a Goa congressman said that women invite rape by socializing with strangers.

Roop Rekha Verma, of women’s activist group Shared World, says that the stigma against survivors and the desire to marry virgins further depresses the reporting rate. Many survivors who do report are subjected to humiliating “finger tests” by doctors who probe not only for signs of assault, but also virginity.

Even worse, once rapes are reported the standards of evidence are so high that there is only a 25% conviction rate.

More disturbingly, the authorities may be just as culpable. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has documented the Indian military raping civilians** believed to** sympathize with Islamist terrorists in Kashmir. Most of the victims appear to be selected arbitrarily. The insurgents also rape civilians.

HRW also alleges that the police in India rape women, especially those from lower castes and minority groups. Women are detained on false charges or even simply held for ransom.
Aside from rape, women in India suffer from a deeply patriarchal society. According to the Indian Council of Global Relations, most women are victims of sexual harassment in public. A UN index measuring gender disparities in education, employment, health care, political representation and more ranked India 134 out of 187 countries, below Saudi Arabia and China.

India has laws against marital rape, sex selective abortion, and bridal dowries, but all these practices continue today. Marital rape only became illegal within the last 30 years.

The home affairs minister appointed a panel following the December bus rape case which called for making gang rape punishable by 20 years in prison, making it a crime for not investigating sexual assault complaints, and making it a crime to consider the survivor’s character or sexual history in a trial. **No law has been passed yet.
**

Rights groups such as HRW have called for more stringent laws, punishing non-penetrative assault and inflicting harsher penalties for rapes committed by military and police officials. India is the world’s largest democracy. Ending the patriarchy and the rape problems it brings looks to be its next big challenge.

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Re: Swiss Tourist Gang-Raped In India While Camping With Her Husband

Very sad indeed...i hope criminals are caught and are punished severely!