A member of the Pontifical Academy for Life talks to AsiaNews about the gang rape of a novice in Bangalore. "The fight against this culture of violence must start with respect for life, especially for the girls for whom violence begins in the womb with female feticide and infanticide," he said.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - "Violence against women can destroy our communities, our society and our future. Inhuman violation on this young woman, who was believed to be safe within the walls of his religious institution, reveals the vulnerability of women in Indian society," said Dr Pascoal Carvalho, a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, as he spoke to AsiaNews about the case of a 17-year-old novice who was recently the victim of gang rape in Bangalore.

"Since 1947, the date of India's independence of India, rape cases increased by 873 per cent," the Catholic doctor said, and "the fight against this culture of violence must start with respect for life, especially for the girls for whom violence begins in the womb with female feticide and infanticide."

After the New Delhi gang rape, "the central government has set up a special commission, headed by former Chief Justice JS Verma, to improve laws regarding violence against women," Dr Carvalho explained.

Despite changes however, "according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the number of rapes continues to grow, whilst the conviction rate decreases." In 2011, 23,582 cases of sexual violence were reported in the whole of India, with a 26.40 per cent conviction rate. In 2012, as the number of rapes rose to 24,923, convictions dropped to 24.20 per cent.

According to the physician, who is also a member of the Diocesan commission for human life in Mumbai, "there are profound moral and human cost in sexual violence.

"The social fabric of our country has been torn apart by the rising number of rapes. It is urgent to intensify our efforts to create a society in which women and girls can live with dignity and equality, free from all forms of violence."

What is needed are "coordinated efforts by religious leaders, civil society groups, and schools along with awareness campaigns from the grassroots up, including police and the authorities. We need zero tolerance against exploitation and sexual violence against women."

This "does not mean resorting to the death penalty or chemical castration," he said. "The government has talked about such practices in the past months, but which the Catholic Church opposes."

In its findings, the Verma Commission itself came out against the death penalty and chemical castration, explaining that there is considerable evidence that these solutions are not a deterrent. Instead, it suggested life in prison as the maximum penalty. (NC)

• india
• bangalore
• gang
• rape
• sexual
• violence
• women
• catholic
• church