US Bravery Award for Delhi Rape Victim

US bravery award for Delhi rape victim

The incident caused widespread outrage in India

The US State Department has awarded one of its 2013 International Women of Courage Awards to the 23-year-old woman who died after being gang-raped in the Indian capital, Delhi.

The woman, who cannot be named, and a male friend were attacked on a bus in Delhi on 16 December. She died two weeks later in a hospital in Singapore.

The case shocked India and prompted a debate about the treatment of women.

The award will be presented posthumously on Friday.

In a statement on Monday, the State Department said the woman - who has become known as Nirbhaya, meaning "Fearless" - had "become the foundation of a popular movement to end violence against women in India".

"For millions of Indian women, her personal ordeal, perseverance to fight for justice, and her family's continued bravery is helping to lift the stigma and vulnerability that drive violence against women," it said.

She had "bravely recorded two police statements while in the hospital, repeatedly called for justice against the six attackers, and stated her will to survive to see justice done.

"In the wake of her death just two weeks after the attack, India's active civil society began advocating heavily for legislation and social programmes to stem gender-based violence in all its forms and to ensure higher rape conviction rates and gender-sensitive law enforcement and justice systems.

"Thanks to these efforts, the Indian government has begun to take action to follow through on those demands."

The woman died of her injuries in a hospital in Singapore two weeks after the attack, which triggered widespread anger about the treatment of women in India.

Five men are being tried in Delhi in connection with the attack. A sixth suspect is being tried in a juvenile court. They deny the charges.

A commission under ex-chief justice JS Verma was appointed to examine the country's laws on sex crimes, issuing its report on 23 January.

The government approved many of the recommendations, paving the way for raising the penalty for gang rape to life.

But they went beyond the panel's recommendations and suggested the death sentence in rape cases where the victim dies or slips into a coma.

The US awards will be presented by Secretary of State John Kerry, at a ceremony attended by First Lady Michelle Obama.

Among the other nine women receiving the award are Tibetan blogger and activists Tsering Woeser, Russian journalist and rights activists Elena Milashina and Razan Zeitunah, a Syrian human rights lawyer who founded the Local Coordination Committees which has documented casualties and right violations throughout the country's conflict.

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By IBTimes Staff Reporter | March 1, 2013 7:14 PM IST

Nirbhaya Fund: Delhi Gang-Rape Victim's Father Wishes Project Was Named after Her Real Name

The father of Delhi gang-rape victim expressed his wish to name the women empowerment fund after his daughter's real name.

P Chidambaram in his annual budget presentation at the Parliament on Thursday announced the setting up of the "Nirbhaya Fund", which was named in honour of the 23-year-old physiotherapy student, for the empowerment of women in the country.

Appreciating the finance minister's move the victim's father told Headlines Today, "I am extremely happy and proud about this announcement. I want to thank the finance minister."

"It would have been great if it could be named after my daughter's original name... It would be great if it is spent on needy girls and on measures to strengthen the safety of women. It is a befitting tribute to my daughter."

"Nirbahya" is the pseudo name given by an Indian English daily as a tribute to the girl who put up a brave front after being gang raped by six men on the night of 16 December, 2012. She succumbed to her injuries at a Singapore hosptail nearly a fortnight later.

Chidambaram said that the Nirbhaya Fund was set up on a ?1,000 crore budget with the aim of enhancing security, safety and empowerment of womenfolk.

"We have a collective responsibility to ensure the dignity and safety of women. Recent incidents have cast a long, dark shadow on our liberal and progressive credentials. As more women enter public spaces -- for education or work or access to services or leisure -- there are more reports of violence against them. We stand in solidarity with our girl children and women. And we pledge to do everything possible to empower them and to keep them safe and secure. A number of initiatives are under way and many more will be taken by government as well as non-government organisations. These deserve our support. As an earnest of our commitment to these objectives, I propose to set up a fund -- let us call it the Nirbhaya Fund -- and government will contribute ?1,000 crore. Ministry of Women and Child Development and other ministries concerned will be requested to work out the details of the structure, scope and application of the fund," the minister said in his presentation.

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