In consonance with the recommendations made by the Justice Verma Committee, in order to prevent violence against women comprehensive amendments were introduced in the Indian Penal Code, 1860, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 through the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013. The amendments sought to make provisions relating to violence
against women more stringent. The key features are as follows:
a) New offences like acid attack, sexual harassment, voyeurism, disrobing a woman,
stalking have now been incorporated into the Indian Penal Code. Enhanced punishment for crimes like rape, sexual harassment, stalking, voyeurism, acid attacks, indecent gestures like words and inappropriate touch etc. has also been added.
b) Definition of rape has been widened to include non-penetrative sex as well.
c) Provisions for aggravated rape expanded to include rape committed by a person in a
position of dominance, by a member of the armed forces deployed in an area, rape
committed during communal or sectarian violence or on a woman incapable of giving
consent.
d) Increased penalty for gang rape and causing serious injury to the victim resulting her
to remain in a vegetative state.
e) Increased sentence for rape convicts, including life-term and death sentence.
e) Insertion of a new provisions casting a duty on all hospitals public, private run by the
Central Government or State Government to provide first aid or medical treatment,
free of cost to victims of any offence defined under Section 326, 375 ad 376 ( acid
attack and rape).
f) Further, Section 370 and 370A IPC provides for comprehensive measures to counter the menace of
human trafficking including trafficking of children for exploitation in any form including physical
exploitation or any form of sexual exploitation, slavery, servitude, or the forced removal of
organs.

Government of India, National review on Beijing +20, 2015, pages 11, 54, 55.

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