All-female police units are shaking up the male-dominated force in conservative northwest India, hitting the streets to combat sex crimes and a pervasive culture of silence around rape. One such squad in Jaipur has been patrolling bus stops, colleges and parks where women are vulnerable to sexual harassment. India has a gruesome record on sex crimes, with nearly 40,000 rapes reported every year. The shame attached to rape in the deeply patriarchal society, and fear of reprisal, means many sex crimes are not reported and offenders go unpunished. The Jaipur unit is just the second in Rajasthan state, with the first established in Udaipur last October.

Source: Hindustan Times July 25, 2017 11:48 UTC