As with most parts of India, women are not respected. Male child is given higher preference than a girl, boys are given better food, then better opportunities and the list is endless. Woman in India is not respected as an individual -- she is only a possession. North India is well known for harboring such a bias. Violence against women , be it rape or wife-beating, wife-burning etc. is a direct consequence of a long list of inequality against women.
Making laws stricter is not enough. We need better enforcement and most of all, Indian males need to learn to respect women. India can never dream of being a developed country until 50% of our population participates without fear in the growth story that is India. No country has developed to become a superpower without participation of its womenfolk
