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�Crimes against women rising in Meghalaya�

By Raju Das

SHILLONG, June 13 � Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Bindo Lanong has said that crime against women was on the rise in the State.

As per available data, cases of rape, molestation and kidnapping have shown an increasing trend in the State, he said during a programme recently.

During 2007 to 2009, the State has reported 276 cases of rape, 162 cases of molestation and 57 kidnapping cases.

He revealed the statistics while attending the �Decade celebration� function of Women for Integrated Sustainable Empowerment (WISE) here.

During 2007, the number of rape cases reported in the State was 82. The figure shot up to 88 in 2008 and subsequently rose to 106 last year.

In 2007, the number of molestation cases reported was 45. In the following two years, molestation cases rose to 57 and 60. During the same periods, kidnapping of women was 22, 16 and 19.

He said not just Meghalaya; crime against women was increasing throughout the country. Matters have turned worse with several women not reporting such cases, he added.

Lanong said, with many failing to report such cases, women are increasingly becoming victims of abuse. He urged the victims of abuse to report such cases to the police, so that perpetrators of such crime can be tried under law.

�Victims of abuse should come and report such cases so that action can be taken,� he told the gathering. He further said that steps were being taken to sensitise the police so that such victims are not harassed while registration of cases.

The Deputy Chief Minister lauded WISE for helping women, especially those from the economically and socially backward strata, to empower them.

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