NEW DELHI (INDIA)
The Age
February 5, 2018
By Amrit Dhillon
New Delhi: One Indian woman who was abused as a child, and her inability to forget what happened 47 years ago, has forced the Indian government rethink the law on sexual abuse.
Under the law as it stands, an adult survivor of sex abuse cannot report a crime. But after meeting Purnima Govindarajulu, a 53 year old conservation biologist who grew up in India but lives in Victoria, Canada, the minister of Women and Child Welfare, Maneka Gandhi, said last week that the law needs to be changed.
Govindarajalu met Gandhi on a recent visit to India because the purpose of her visit – to report the male relative who had abused her – had been thwarted. Mrs Gandhi was prompted to order the review after meeting.
When Govindarajalu had told Chennai police that she wanted to report the crime, they said there was no specific provision under the law which allowed them to file a report on a crime committed so long ago.
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