India is deemed highly unsafe for foreign female tourists. A Spanish blogger woman fell victim to a gang rape, exposing India's secular state to scrutiny.
On March 1st, a Spanish girl was traveling on a motorcycle with her partner in the city of Jharkhand, India when she was targeted for gang rape.
The Spanish couple had set up a tent in Dhanbad, a state in India, for an overnight stay when a group of seven individuals assaulted them, reports Al Jazeera.
The 28-year-old Spanish travel blogger mentioned in her Instagram post that the group targeted them for violence, looted their belongings, and raped her, as reported by Hindustan Times.
In another post, a companion of the affected blogger stated that she was repeatedly assaulted with blows to the head and face with a helmet.
After the gang rape, the girl was left in critical condition, Al Jazeera reports.
Following the attack, a petrol pump attendant rescued both and took them to a local hospital.
There has been a strong international backlash over the rape of the Spanish blogger woman.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, in India, approximately 90 cases of sexual assault are reported daily on average, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. In 2022, one case of rape against a woman was reported every 18 minutes. Last year, 31,516 incidents of sexual assault were recorded.
The states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of cases, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
Sexual violence against women is common in India, particularly putting women from minority tribal communities at significant risk, reports Al Jazeera.
Despite proven guilt, suspects in sexual assault cases in India often receive lenient sentences, contributing to an increase in such cases, reports Al Jazeera."
