India has revealed that 223 assaults on female tourists have been recorded since the start of 2014.
The figures, released by the country’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), showed that a staggering 86 of these cases were classified as rapes, while 129 fell into the category of “assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty”. A further eight cases were classified as “insult[s] to the modesty of women”.
These alarming figures were released by the Ministry of Tourism, amid efforts by the Indian government to improve the safety of tourists in the country, especially women.
India noted that it experienced a decline in female tourists from multiple countries in 2014, including Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, Japan and South Korea.
High profile cases, including the rape of a Japanese tourist by a tour guide in February 2015, the rape of a Danish tourist in 2014, a Swiss tourist in 2013, and the rape and murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling in Goa in 2008, have caused severe damage to India’s global reputation as a safe tourist destination.
To tackle this issue, the Indian government recently announced a series of measures to improve the safety of tourists in the country. These include the setting up of a tourist helpline, online advisories, and the creation of a new ‘Code of Conduct for Safe and Honourable Tourism’.
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