The Government has substantially reduced the relief for rape victims. The figures have gone down tremendously over the years and instead of the funds for relief being directly proportional to the number of rape victims, it has become inversely proportional.

TOI reports, the budget allocation for the welfare of rape victims has been slashed by nearly 85 percent from the previous financial year. A comparison of budget estimates over the years shows that the allocation for the relief and rehabilitation of rape victims has fallen from Rs. 53.30 crore in the 2009-10 Union Budget to Rs. 36.2 crore in 2010-11 and to a mere Rs. 7.5 crore in the 2011-12 budget outlays.

This reduction in the budget is un-called for given that the number of rapes in the country has been gradually on the rise. The budget reduction makes one question as to how the Government can compromise spending on the welfare of rape victims.

Sangeeta Rege, a senior researcher at Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes (CEHAT) says the paltry expenditure on the welfare of rape victims is a matter of serious concern. "An analysis of the Government’s expenditure on the relief and rehabilitation of rape victims in 2009 shows that only Rs. 9 lakh of the budget was spent, which amounts to around Rs. 42 per rape victim. This will not even provide for a victim’s daily dose of medication”. Rege says CEHAT research showed them that basic medical care for a rape victim costs around Rs. 1,000 per day in a city like Mumbai. 

There also seems to be a lack of clarity on compensatory relief for rape. The rape victims can file for compensation under Section 357A of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Government has been attempting to take measures to help rape victims, but this will not be possible without allocating proper funds for the same. TOI reports, following Supreme Court directives, the National Commission for Women had drawn up a scheme to provide restorative justice to rape victims by means of a compensatory fund, way back in 2005. Under the scheme, the District Boards would be authorised to sanction an amount of Rs. 20,000 as interim relief immediately on the registration of an FIR (First Information Report) and Rs. 50,000 based upon the victim's rehabilitation needs. However, the scheme still awaits final approval and implementation.

The Delhi High Court while hearing a PIL on March 9, 2011 filed by Delhi Commission for Woman for issuance of guidelines to treat the rape victims and their rehabilitation was informed by the Central Government  that it will soon be announcing a policy to provide monetary compensation to rape victims.

While it is essential to provide punishment to the perpetrators of such hideous crimes, it is very important that the victim is restored to a position of dignity and self-confidence. These factors of restoring justice must form the basis of efforts to address the trauma that the affected woman goes through. This may entail not only financial assistance, but also various support services such as counseling, shelter, medical and legal aid for which huge funds are required.

We understand that the Government seems to be diverging from issues of sexual violence / abuse against women. The irony is that our Government spends crores of rupees on investigating scams like 2G, Bofors, Hawala etc. and when it comes to the rehabilitation of rape victims, the Government comes up with a petty figure that doesn’t even deserve to referred as “compensation” for such a heinous crime. The icing on the cake is that the Government instead of raising the budget allocation has reduced it. It is pertinent to mention here that the figures provided by crime bureaus are much less than the actual figures of child abuse, molestation, sexual abuse and rape. 

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