Emergency Services



Police:  Call 100 when your immediate safety is at risk.

Ambulance:  Call 102

As per Government of India law, all hospitals private or government are required to treat a victim of sexual assault immediately and inform police as this is a medico-legal case.

     Police are required to inform a women’s support group which will send it’s representative to the hospital/police station to support the victim and all further action will take place in the presence of the representative of the support group.

Angaja Foundation: Call for crisis counseling and emotional support. (011) 24692612, 24634978, 41643401 (listed with Delhi Police)

Sanjivini: For trauma counseling and support  http://sanjivinisociety.org/

US Embassy in Delhi: https://in.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/victims-of-crime/

Detailed list of professional resources in India provided by the US Embassy:

https://in.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/71/India-Victim-Assistance-Handout-2017.pdf



Legal Resources

Delhi Rape Crisis Cell: They will provide counseling as well; 24/7.

011-23370557


India’s Definitions of Crimes

In Middlebury’s efforts to obtain and provide definitions of the following crimes or terms, e.g., Sexual Assault, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Stalking, and Consent in reference to sexual activity, which are prohibited by Middlebury’s Policy and which may also be prohibited by law in India, listed below please find some or all of the crimes or terms as locally defined by India to the extent known by Middlebury on information and belief at this time.

The definitions of sexual offences can be found in the following legislations: The Indian Penal Code 1860 (IPC) and The Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (PWDV Act).

Definition of Sexual Assault

Section 375: Rape

A man is said to commit “rape” if he

(a)    penetrates his penis, to any extent, into the vagina, mouth, urethra or anus of a woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person; or

(b)    inserts, to any extent, any object or a part of the body, not being the penis, into the vagina, the urethra or anus of a woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person; or

(c)    manipulates any part of the body of a woman so as to cause penetration into the vagina, urethra, anus or any part of body of such woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person; or

(d)    applies his mouth to the vagina, anus, urethra of a woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person, under the circumstances falling under any of the following seven descriptions:

First – Against her will.

Secondly – Without her consent.

Thirdly – With her consent, when her consent has been obtained by putting her or any person in whom she is interested, in fear of death or of hurt.

Fourthly – With her consent, when the man knows that he is not her husband and that her consent is given because she believes that he is another man to whom she is or believes herself to be lawfully married.

Fifthly – With her consent when, at the time of giving such consent, by reason of unsoundness of mind or intoxication or the administration by him personally or through another of any stupefying or unwholesome substance, she is unable to understand the nature and consequences of that to which she gives consent.

Sixthly – With or without her consent, when she is under eighteen years of age.

Seventhly – When she is unable to communicate consent.

Explanation 1 – For the purposes of this section, “vagina” shall also include labia majora.

Explanation 2 – Consent means an unequivocal voluntary agreement when the woman by words, gestures or any form of verbal or non-verbal communication, communicates willingness to participate in the specific sexual act:

Provided that a woman who does not physically resist to the act of penetration shall not by the reason only of that fact, be regarded as consenting to the sexual activity.

Exception 1 – A medical procedure or intervention shall not constitute rape.

Exception 2 – Sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape.

Definition of Domestic Violence

Domestic violence has been defined under the PWDV Act in the following manner:

Section 3: Definition of domestic violence

For the purposes of this Act, any act, omission or commission or conduct of the respondent shall constitute domestic violence in case it –

(a)    harms or injures or endangers the health, safety, life, limb or well-being, whether mental or physical, of the aggrieved person or tends to do so and includes causing physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal and emotional abuse and economic abuse; or

(b)    harasses, harms, injures or endangers the aggrieved person with a view to coerce her or any other person related to her to meet any unlawful demand for any dowry or other property or valuable security; or

(c)    has the effect of threatening the aggrieved person or any person related to her by any conduct mentioned in clause (a) or clause (b); or

(d)    otherwise injures or causes harm, whether physical or mental, to the aggrieved person.

Explanation I. For the purposes of this section,

(i)    “physical abuse” means any act or conduct which is of such a nature as to cause bodily pain, harm, or danger to life, limb, or health or impair the health or development of the aggrieved person and includes assault, criminal intimidation and criminal force;

(ii)    “sexual abuse” includes any conduct of a sexual nature that abuses, humiliates, degrades or otherwise violates the dignity of a woman;

(iii)    “verbal and emotional abuse” includes-

(a) insults, ridicule, humiliation, name calling and insults or ridicule specially with regard to not having a child or a male child; and

(b) repeated threats to cause physical pain to any person in whom the aggrieved person is interested.

(iv)     “economic abuse” includes-

(a)     deprivation of all or any economic or financial resources to which the aggrieved person is entitled under any law or custom whether payable under an order of a court or otherwise or which the aggrieved person requires out of necessity including, but not limited to, household necessities for the aggrieved person and her children, if any, stridhan, property, jointly or separately owned by the aggrieved person, payment of rental related to the shared household and maintenance;

(b)    disposal of household effects, any alienation of assets whether movable or immovable, valuables, shares, securities, bonds and the like or other property in which the aggrieved person has an interest or is entitled to use by virtue of the domestic relationship or which may be reasonably required by the aggrieved person or her children or her stridhan or any other property jointly or separately held by the aggrieved person; and

(c)     prohibition or restriction to continued access to resources or facilities which the   aggrieved person is entitled to use or enjoy by virtue of the domestic relationship including access to the shared household.

Explanation II.-For the purpose of determining whether any act, omission, commission or conduct of the respondent constitutes “domestic violence” under this section, the overall facts and circumstances of the case shall be taken into consideration.

Definition of Stalking

Stalking has been defined under the IPC in the following manner:

Section 354D: Stalking

1.    Any man who

(i)    follows a woman and contacts, or attempts, to contact such woman to foster personal interaction repeatedly despite a clear indication of disinterest by such woman; or

(ii)    monitors the use by a woman of the internet, email or any other form of electronic communication, commits the offence of stalking;

Provided that such conduct shall not amount to stalking if the man who pursued it proves that

(i)    it was pursued for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime and the man accused of stalking had been entrusted with the responsibility of prevention and detection of crime by the State; or

(ii)    it was pursued under any law or to comply with any condition or requirement imposed by any person under any law; or

(iii)    in the particular circumstances such conduct was reasonable and justified.

Whoever commits the offence of stalking shall be punished on first conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine; and be punished on a second or subsequent conviction, with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, and shall also be liable to fine.