Civil societies
demand for DNA testing in every sexual offence case
In a compelling video,
writer, anchor & actor, Gitikka Ganju Dharsharesher message saying,
“Hurrah to the Prime Minister's vision of building a 5 trillion-dollar economy
by 2024. Alongside, the Quality of Life Index for women in India, must also go
up. We must set a target for ending the barbaric menace of rape by 2030 and
transform India into a rape-free nation, बलात्कारमुक्तभारत.
I believe this will happen if and when the number of convictions equal the
number of rapes, and speedy and just convictions can only be achieved by using
DNA as clinching evidence.”
The most conclusive evidence
is the rapist’s DNA, but the awareness of DNA forensics is very low in India
and its collection a massive problem. Because in India the woman who gets raped
is shamed and considered dirty. She is asked to cleanse herself of the sin by
her family. She is washed andher clothes are cleaned or burnt, leading to loss
of crucial DNA evidence even before the case is reported. #DNAFightsRape
reinforces the message,‘Do Not Wash, Do Not Clean, SAVE THE EVIDENCE’. To get justice,we
need DNA and for that we need to save bodily evidence in every sexual offence
and rape investigation.
Dr Pinky Anand, Sr
Advocate said,“The initiative #DNAFightsRape – Save the Evidence
started two years ago and has since then come a long way and gained tremendous
momentum. I am happy that I could play a role in this drive trying to create
awareness amongst the populace, masses on the importance of DNA evidence,
especially in cases of sexual assault and rape. Today, DNA profiling has become
one of the most important evidence for detection of crimes like rape and
murder, simplifying and easing not just the process of investigations, but
often forming clinching evidence in cases where conviction would otherwise have
been difficult. Many courts in India are now able to quickly deliver concrete
and effective judgments in cases of sexual offences, especially rape because of
the veracity and the absolute nature of DNA evidence.”
DNA remains the world’s best
crime fighting technology as public figures and subject
matter experts from legal, law enforcement, forensics, medical, and public
policy fields validate the merit of scientific evidence over ocular evidence in
court. The Nirbhaya case is a landmark case as it hugely qualifies the success
of DNA evidence.It was effectively used to convict all accused in this case.
The law was duly upheld, and justice delivered!
As a
matter of fact, more and more courts today are relying on DNA evidence to
convict the offender in cases of sexual offence and rape of minors. Law
enforcement and medical forensic experts too are realising the need to step up
protocols related to DNA collect & test in rape investigations.
“In the last six months,
the judiciary has treated forensic DNA results as conclusive evidence. The
process is today becoming successful only due to proper and timely collection
of biological evidence by the police and medical examiners from the crime scene
and the victim’s body following an incident. Over the last two years, owing to
the increased awareness of the importance and the impact of DNA evidence, the
testing of DNA in criminal incidents has doubled. We must take care of two
things, preserve the evidence in a rape case and second, demand for DNA
testing. And if we can do this, we will be able to make this city and this
country, a safe place for our women and children,” Dr Anandadded.
However, despite growth in the
number of profiles being tested, the absolute volume remains low,especially in
crimes against women and children. Rising crime, declining conviction rates,
and an unprecedented backlog of cases in courts, clearly establishes huge unmet
potential for DNA casework in India.Official statistics show a dramatic
increase in the number of crimes against women, which haveshot up from 24,923
in 2012 to 33,356 in 2018 – a jump of 34 per cent! As per NCRB data, one woman
is raped every 15 minutes in India, whereasonly one in four reported rape cases
result in conviction.
Speaking from a global point
of view, Tim Schellberg, Founder & President, Gordon Thomas Honeywell—GAnoted,“I
am proud to endorse the #DNAFightsRape on the International Justice Day. This
campaign will bring much needed awareness of the power of DNA in delivering
justiceto rape survivors. This awareness will create the expectation in
India that when a rape occurs, DNA will be collected and tested quickly.In the
United States and many other countries who were early to mainstream DNA
forensics, rape survivors and their families have a general understanding of
DNA evidence and they know its value to a criminal investigation. As a result,
the culture in these countries is not to clean or wash evidence and pursue
medical examination at the earliest. India too would see greater
utilization of DNA in sexual assaults if people here made it a top priority.
This would not only bring sexual offenders to justice but also act as a strong
deterrent to the act of rape”.
Stating the sense of
urgency and call to action, Arneeta Vasudeva, Senior Vice President Ogilvy
adds, “Rape is a malice that has permeated into this nation’s fabric and is
spreading at an alarming rate. With only 1 in 4 rape cases leading to
conviction, the future looks grim unless we do something about it. So let’s all
on this Day of International Criminal Justice take a pledge to do our
part in making India a rape-free country, and a safer community for our women
and children.”
To join the movement, use #DNAFightsRape
#WherestheDNAand post apicture along with a message to spread the word,
MAKE INDIA RAPE FREE!
About #DNAFightsRape
#DNAFightsRape – Save the Evidence, a citizen awareness drive was launched on November 25th,
2019, the International Day for the Elimination
of Violence Against Women,in
partnership with the Delhi Police, AIIMS, UN Women
India, Red FM and MARD, with the aim to educate people on the role they have in
saving the crucial DNA evidence and expediting India’s criminal justice system
in sexual offense and rape cases. The movement has further gained momentum with
several partners like Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU) and Girl Up
(UN Foundation) endorsing it this year.
About GTH-GA
Gordon
Thomas Honeywell Governmental Affairs is globally recognised public affairs
consultancy firm that has expertise with forensic DNA database policy,
legislative, and law. For nearly twenty years, consultants at GTH-GA have
consulted in over 50 countries and states on legislation and policies to
establish or expand criminal offender DNA databases. GTH-GA collaborates
closely with governmental officials, crime labs, police, and the DNA industry.
GTH-GA operates the DNAResource.com
website that has been used as the world’s primary source for DNA database
policy and legislative information since 2000.
