Tragic! A 16-year-old Homeless Girl Raped By Hundreds Of Men In West India

Illustration of rape. (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - At least seven men have been arrested in western India after a 16-year-old girl claimed she was raped hundreds of times by hundreds of men, in the latest gruesome case to highlight the country's rampant sexual violence problem.

In a statement to the Child Welfare Committee of India (CWC) on November 11, the homeless girl said she was raped by 400 people in Beed District, Maharashtra State, according to CWC chairman Abhay Vitthalrao Vanave. He named two police officers in his complaint, Vanave said.

The girl was begging for money at the bus stop when she was allegedly forced into sex work by three men, Vanave said, quoted by CNN November 17.

While the number of alleged rapists would be difficult to corroborate, the girl was able to identify at least 25 alleged perpetrators, he added.

The girl had attempted to file a police complaint against a man she accused of beating her, but officers did not register her, Vanave said.

When contacted by CNN Monday, Beed police did not comment on the girl's allegations against them.

In a statement Monday, the force said it had registered cases against eight men, including one minor, relating to rape and the Act on the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses, which carries a heavier sentence than longer prison terms. They have also registered cases under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.

The girl told police she was married at the age of 13 to a 33-year-old man who sexually abused her, according to a police statement.

She also told police she was sexually assaulted by her father, which eventually prompted her to leave the home and sleep at the bus stop.

Separately, women's rights activist Yogita Bhayana said this was "the most tragic (rape) case in history."

"This girl is tortured every day. We want strict action against all perpetrators," she said, adding that the police had failed to protect her.

According to India's National Crime Records Bureau, more than 28,000 cases of alleged rape of women were reported in 2020, roughly one case every 18 minutes. Experts believe the real number is much higher because many go unreported out of fear.

The number of reported rapes increased in the years following the brutal 2012 gang rape, as well as the murder of a student in the Indian capital, New Delhi, potentially due to greater awareness around the issue since. Experts say anger has helped dispel the embarrassment of discussing rape.

To note, legal reforms and tougher penalties for rape were introduced later, which included fast-track courts to hear rape cases more quickly, and the definition of rape was changed to include anal and oral penetration.

However, high-profile rape cases continue to make headlines. In September this year, police arrested 33 men on suspicion of gang rape of a 15-year-old girl in Maharashtra.

In a separate case that month, a woman died after she was allegedly raped and assaulted with an iron rod in Mumbai. Meanwhile, in August this year, a 9-year-old girl was raped and murdered in Delhi.