Woman activist urges UN to declare March 20 as 'Rape Prevention Day'

Nirbhaya rape and murder case victim's mother and father at the Patiala House Court, in New Delhi. Pic/ PTI

A woman activist has written to the United Nations seeking that March 20, 2020, the day when the convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case are scheduled to be hanged, be designated as 'Rape Prevention Day'. In her letter, Yogita Bhayana said this will help sensitise people towards the cause of women's security. "Declaring March 20 as 'Rape Prevention Day' shall help every Indian to understand what Nirbhaya and their family had endured, and reaffirm their vow to the vision of a rape-free India.

"This shall mark as a strong step towards social justice and will have a huge impact on Indian society. The date of execution should not be seen as an end to a case, but mark a new era in India," the letter stated. Bhayana, who runs an NGO, People Against Rapes in India (PARI), said the government is doing its job by making laws to prevent rapes but more efforts are needed to make women feel safe and help them lead a life full of respect and security at the grassroots level.

A Delhi court on Thursday fixed March 20 as the date for the execution of the four convicts in the Nirbhaya case -- Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31). This is the fourth time that death warrants have been issued. The earlier three had to deferred pending the exhaustion of legal remedies by the convicts.

A 23-year-old physiotherapy intern, who came to be known as 'Nirbhaya' (fearless), was gang-raped and brutalised in a moving bus in south Delhi by six persons, including the four convicts and a juvenile, on December 16, 2012. She had died after a fortnight. One of the accused persons, Ram Singh, allegedly committed suicide in the Tihar Jail.

The juvenile was convicted and released from a reformation home after serving a three-year term.

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