NEW DELHI (AP):

Thirty-two years after the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Violence Against Women (CEDAW) came into effect, women the world over are still the victims of gender-based violence. Recently, there has been major outcry in India against the gang rape of a 23-year-old medical student last month who later died of her injuries.

And late last year, there were numerous instances of violence against women that made national headline. So where have we come since Jamaica ratified CEDAW?

India's top law enforcement official said Friday that the country needs to crack down on crimes against women with "an iron hand" to prevent attacks such as the fatal gang rape of a student on a New Delhi bus last month.

That attack has sparked outrage across India and led to calls for tougher rape legislation and reforms of a police culture that often blames rape victims and refuses to file charges against accused attackers.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said crimes against women and marginalised sections of society are increasing, and it is the government's responsibility to stop them.

"This needs to be curbed by an iron hand," he told a conference of state officials from across India that was called to discuss how to protect women.

He called for changes in the law and the way police investigate cases so justice can be swiftly delivered. Many rape cases are bogged down in India's overburdened and sluggish court system for years.

"We need a reappraisal of the entire system," he said.

Five men were charged last Thursday with murder, kidnapping and rape in the attack on a 23-year-old student who died over the weekend in a Singapore hospital from massive internal injuries. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Saturday at a new fast-track court inaugurated this week to deal with rape cases in the capital.

Active role needed

In the wake of the rape, several petitioners appealed to the supreme court to take an active role in the issue of women's safety.

On Friday, the court dismissed a petition asking it to suspend Indian lawmakers accused of crimes against women, saying it doesn't have jurisdiction, according to the Press Trust of India. The Association for Democratic Reforms, an organisation that tracks officials' criminal records, said six state lawmakers are facing rape prosecutions and two national parliamentarians are facing charges of crimes against women that fall short of rape.

However, the court did agree to look into the widespread creation of more fast-track courts for accused rapists across the country.

Full Caption: A woman looks at protestors wearing placards as they pretend to be rapists wearing the hangman's noose in Bhubaneswar, India, recently. A group of men accused of raping a university student for hours on a bus as it drove through India's capital was charged last Thursday with murder, rape and other crimes that could bring them the death penalty. The attack on the 23-year-old, who died of severe internal injuries, provoked a debate across India about the routine mistreatment of the nation's women and triggered daily protests demanding action. Placard on left reads 'India will not tolerate insult to women'. - AP Photos