No let-up in cases of abetment to suicide of women and dowry deaths

TIRUPATI: An eye-opening report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) revealed that there was no let-up in the cases of abetment to suicide of women and dowry deaths in Andhra Pradesh. In 2021, the state had witnessed 397 cases of abetment to suicide of women and 108 cases of dowry deaths.

While Maharashtra reported the highest number of cases of abetment to suicide of women among all the states, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Telangana states took the second, third and fourth spot respectively. AP has recorded the fifth-highest among all the states in the country and second-highest among all the five South Indian states.  

According to the NCRB report, the state has recorded 397 cases of abetment to suicide of women in 2021, involving 410 victims with a crime rate of 1.5 cases per lakh women population. There were 371 such cases in 2020, involving 392 victims with a crime rate of 1.4 cases/lakh women population and in 2019, there were 407 cases, involving 423 victims.

Family counsellors and psychiatrists express that the infidelity was the strongest predictor of suicide attempt in women. The other major reasons they point out are being threatened to physical assault by husband or his relatives, jealousy, dowry and previous attempts of divorce, lack of coping and problem-solving skills in some women and proper assistance for those in need.

With regard to cases involving cruelty by husband, the state recorded 7,092 cases involving 7,651 victims and a crime rate of 26.8 cases per lakh women population in 2021. This is against the 6,546 cases recorded in 2020, involving 6,579 victims and a crime rate of 24.9 cases.

Meanwhile, the state recorded 108 incidents of dowry deaths in 2021, involving 109 victims at the rate of 0.4 cases per lakh women population. In 2020 and 2019, there were 111 and 112 dowry deaths in the state. The state recorded the third-highest number of cases among the five southern states last year.  

In all, the state has recorded 17,752 cases of crime against women in 2021, as against 17,089 cases in 2020 and 17,746 cases in 2019. While the rate of total crime against women in the state last year was recorded as 67.2, the charge sheet rate was 93.5. Two incidents of murder with rape or gang rape were recorded in the state last year.