Friday Briefing: A Brutal Reality for Women in India

The Supreme Court of India this week took up the case of the ghastly rape and murder of a trainee doctor in a Kolkata hospital earlier this month. The case has convulsed the nation and led to doctor strikes and large street protests.

Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud identified a number of breakdowns in the official response to the murder of the woman, whose name may not be published under Indian law. The court also set up a national task force to recommend safety measures to protect medics, who are often subject to violence and abuse.

The police have arrested a 33-year-old man who was a volunteer at a police post at the hospital. Three senior officials there were removed from their posts.

Context: India, by many measures, remains one of the world’s most unsafe places for women. Rape and domestic violence are relatively common, and conviction rates are low. The case of the trainee doctor comes 12 years after a physiotherapy student died after being gang-raped on a bus in New Delhi, leading to national outrage.

Related: The sugar industry is facing pressure to improve oversight after a Times investigation found that women in India work in debt bondage and are coerced into getting hysterectomies.