Replace Rape with Sexual Assault, Cabinet Proposes


New Delhi, Jul 20 (IANS): In order to make rape laws gender neutral, the government has cleared a proposal to substitute the term "sexual assault" in place of "rape" and widen the scope of the offence in the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2012, it was announced Friday.

The union cabinet Thursday approved the proposal for the bill which will be introduced in the parliament in the coming monsoon session.

The age of consent has been raised from 16 years to 18 years in case of sexual assault and the punishment will be minimum seven to 10 years, said officials.

The bill proposes that sexual intercourse by a man with his wife under 16 years of age is not sexual assault.

Provision for enhancement of punishment for making acid attack a specific offence have been made in the bill.

The Law Commission of India in its 172nd Report on Review of Rape Laws as well the National Commission for Women had recommended stringent punishment for the offence of rape.

  

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Comment on this article

  • A.Naik, MANGALORE

    Sat, Jul 21 2012

    Rape is a word which will have a greater impact on the perpitrator..but this crime should be punished with castration ..(like death sentence) be published so that the criminal will live in shame ..not a few years in prison then he is back ..and the victim has to live with the mental and physical wound forever.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • kishan, Mangalore

    Sat, Jul 21 2012

    The term Rape has more impact on the mind when you read it .but sexual assualt term will not be taken seriously by many.Thats why rape should not be called as sexual assualt.

    DisAgree Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Faisal, Mangaluru/Dubai

    Fri, Jul 20 2012

    I think the rape should be referred as "rape" and sexual assault as "sexual assault". If we mix these, then if tomorrow a man rapes young girls, it would be reported as "Man sexual assaults young girls". This kind of headline has less impact among the societies and would make rape as something that is common!

    DisAgree Agree [2] Reply Report Abuse


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