The Western Perspective For women in India, the last century has marked great progress, but at times it has been as stubborn as all previous centuries. Women expanded their role in society, at home and even in politics under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Gender roles, however, are deeply entrenched, and this is no more evident than it is in the current rape epidemic. Specifically, the last 40 years have been among the most promising for Indian women, but they have also seen an 875% increase in rape cases (Park). The answers to why this is happening and why it is happening now could open up a much deeper question. The social climate is changing; a power struggle between the sexes stabilizes the amount of violence against women. Meanwhile, their power to report and hold a rapist accountable brings him to the world's attention. A long-standing injustice that has been brewing beneath the surface for years may have reached its boiling point. Over the past year and a half, it has been rare to see the word “India” in the news without the word “rape” accompanying it. In one case, a 16-year-old girl from Dabra, India, was raped by at least eight men for three hours. The attack was videotaped and shown to members of his village, including his family. After watching the video, his father committed suicide (Yardly). In another, a 23-year-old student was raped on a bus and died from her injuries, and in two separate cases, a 5-year-old and a 4-year-old were both kidnapped and brutally assaulted (Park). For centuries it was rare for a woman to be raped to make India talk. Especially in smaller villages like Dabra, they are scarred by the actions of their rapists. To date, stigmas are... middle of paper... do not exist. This is a complicated situation and requires several actions. India is in a transition phase and there are many power struggles happening at the same time. Women are gaining influence in the country, but men don't always respond well. The upper castes have lost government support regarding their inherent social status. Muslims and Hindus have been fighting for control for decades, and traditional values ​​held for so long are at odds with modern ways. Each of these contributes to the stabilization of violence against women and solving this problem will not be as simple as we would like. It is easy to accuse Hindu-Indian culture of being complacent in the crimes committed against its women, but we simply cannot ignore all the other factors that play a role. Complex situations require complex solutions, nothing less.