Dehli ( The COW News Digital )India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership has earned the grim distinction of being the most unsafe country in the world for women, according to multiple international reports and rights organizations.
Since 2018, the number of reported rape cases in India has consistently ranged between 30,000 and 34,000 annually, highlighting a pervasive crisis of gender-based violence. Rights groups and media outlets have labeled India as the “Rape Capital of the World”—a reflection of not just the scale, but the brutality and frequency of crimes against women.
The recent incident involving the rape of a French tourist in Rajasthan’s Udaipur has once again drawn international condemnation. On June 22, 2025, a hotel employee allegedly assaulted the tourist, sparking outrage across opposition parties and global human rights organizations. Indian opposition leader Ashok Gehlot called the incident “a new stain on India’s global image” and said it further proves that law and order in BJP-ruled states is deteriorating.
Reports from BBC and Al Jazeera cite other disturbing examples. On March 19, 2025, an Israeli tourist and her host were gang-raped in Hampi, Karnataka. These incidents are not isolated; rather, they underscore systemic failure in providing justice and security to women.
According to a CNN report, in 2022 alone, India had 198,285 pending rape cases, of which only 18,517 were resolved. Over 90% of cases remain unresolved, often delayed for years due to bureaucratic and judicial inefficiencies. This backlog contributes to a culture of impunity for perpetrators and deepens fear among survivors.
Critics argue that the Modi government’s silence and lack of reformative action represent not only administrative failure but moral apathy. The judicial system, according to activists, is overwhelmed and under-resourced, while police apathy and societal stigma deter many survivors from even reporting crimes.
Adding to the gravity of the situation, the U.S. State Department has already issued travel advisories for women traveling to India, warning of the risks posed by sexual violence.
International observers and women’s rights advocates are urging the Indian government to take immediate action, enforce stricter laws, and invest in judicial reforms to address what has become a nationwide emergency.
