There are many types of crimes committee all over the world against the women. Right from the time of women’s birth sometimes before the birth of the girl could become victim of crimes. Common forms of crimes against the women all include such as domestic abuse, sexual assault, murder, female foeticide. Dowry death etc. Crimes against women, like all other acts of violence and crimes, have to be seen in the social, economic and political contexts of power relations. It occurs within class and caste because of patriarchal social relations under which male power dominates. A narrow view of crime and violence sees it merely an act of illegal, criminal use of physical force. But a broader view includes exploitation, discrimination, upholding of unequal economic and social structures, the creation of an atmosphere of terror, threat or reprisal and all forms of religio-cultural and political violence.

United Nations defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life”. This encompasses, inter alia, “physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring in the family and in the community, including battering, sexual abuse of children, dowry-related violence, rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation, sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in women, forced prostitution, and violence perpetrated or condoned by the state”

Causes and Consequences of Crime Against Women:

Causes of Crimes Against Women:

• Women are treated as inferior to men.
• Girls are perceived as a burden on the family.
• There is huge discrimination between men and women in the sphere of education.
• The implementation of laws granting rights to women is slow.
• The unequal power relations between men and women.
• Social environment permits the perpetrator to assume the right to use violence as a means of exercising dominance.
• Unequal distribution of resources between men and women; and
• Adherence to rigidly defined gender roles and identities.
• Violence may be aggravated by alcoholism, stress, poverty, unemployment, sexual urge
• to gain and maintain power and control of another person.

Consequences of Crimes Against Women:

• It has serious consequences not just for the individual but for the community & society as a whole. Violence and abuse affect not just the women involved but also their children, families, and communities. 
• It leads to serious health damage, physically. The short-term physical effects of violence can include minor injuries or serious conditions. They can include bruises, cuts, broken bones, or injuries to organs and other parts inside of your body. In long term it may result into some ailments and life long trauma.
• In case of sexual violence there is possibility of vaginal bleeding, unwanted pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.
• It effects victim emotionally. It creates fear, distress and loss of self-confidence. Thus, women who suffer violence are more likely to experience serious medical and mental health problems
• Violence does not only have an important personal, health and social cost, but also an economic cost. Violence against women prevents an economy from attaining its full economic potential.

Common Practices of Violence Against Women:

• Rape
• Domestic violence
• Son Preference
• Dowry Related Violence
• Early Marriage/Forced Marriage
• Prostitution, Trafficking
• Sexual assault within marriage
• Sexual harassment at workplaces
• Violence against women migrant workers
• Female Genital Mutilation
• Pornography
• Discrimination

Kinds of Crime Against Women:

Article 2 of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women identifies three areas in which violence commonly takes place –

• Physical, sexual and psychological violence that occurs in the family, including battering: sexual abuse of female children in the household; dowry related violence; marital rape; female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women; non-spousal violence; and violence related to exploitation.
• Physical, sexual and psychological violence that occurs within the general community, including rape; sexual abuse; sexual harassment and intimidation at work; and forced prostitution.
• Physical, sexual and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the State, wherever it occurs.

Legal Provisions:

Various new legislations have been brought and amendments have been made in existing laws with a view to handle these crimes effectively. These are broadly classified under two categories.

Crime Heads under the Indian Penal Code (IPC):

• Rape (Sec. 376 IPC)
• Attempt to commit Rape(Sec 376/511 IPC)
• Kidnapping & Abduction of Women (Section 363- 373 IPC)
• Dowry Deaths (Sections 302 and 304B IPC)
• Assault on Woman with Intent to Outrage Her Modesty (Sec. 354 IPC)
• Sexual Harassment (Sec.354A IPC)
• Assault on Woman with Intent to Outrage her Modesty (Sec. 354C IPC)
• Voyeurism (Sec. 354D IPC)
• Insult to the Modesty of women (Sec. 509 IPC)
• at Office Premises
• at Places Related to Work
• in Public Transport*
• in Other Places*
• Cruelty by husband or his relatives (Sec. 498A IPC)
• Importation of Girl from Foreign Country (up to 21 years of age) (Sec. 366 B IPC)
• Abetment of Suicide of Women (Sec. 306 IPC)
• Excludes child rapes registered under the section 4 & 6 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act 2012 which published separately in Chapter-6.

Crime Heads under the Special & Local Laws (SLL):

Special Acts enacted for protection and safety of women have been clubbed under SLL These gender specific laws in which criminal cases recorded by police throughout the country are –

• The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961
• The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986
• The Commission of Sati Prevention Act, 1987
• The Protection of women from domestic Violence Act, 2005
• The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956
• The Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Act, 1979

Conclusion:

The value of a civilization can be judged by the place given to a woman in the society. The women occupied a vibrant role and as such her subjugation and mistreatment were looked upon as demeaning to not only the woman but towards the whole society. Only legislation and law enforcement agencies cannot prevent the incident of crime against women. There is need of social awakening and change in the attitude of masses, so that due respect and equal status is given to women. It is a time when the women need to be given her due. This awakening can be brought by education campaign among youth making them aware of existing social evils and the means to eradicate same. Mass media can play an active role here as in the present days it has reached every corner of the nation.