New Machine In India Lets Women Quietly Report Rape As If They're At An ATM

An Indian police officer is working to change the culture of rape in his country by creating electric kiosks for covertly reporting crimes.

In a nation where women are often publicly targeted for reporting sexual assault, Inspector General of Police Joydeep Nayak's invention may save lives.

The machine, called the Instant Complaint Logging Internet Kiosk, isn't just for rape, either. Women can also use it to tell police about abuse and theft.

It records audio for those who are illiterate, scans written complaints for those afraid to speak out loud and even has a keyboard for typed reports. The ICLIK then dispenses a ticket with an individual case tracking number.

Manju Mitra, 38, told The Star that she used the new machine to report her husband for abuse.

Mitra had originally tried to walk to the police station, but on her way, her husband's friends stepped out of the shadows and threatened to kill her. Then she heard the news of Nayak's machine.

Mitra said,

A friend had told me about this new ATM-like machine for police complaints, so I went there on Saturday. I typed out my complaint. In 10 minutes, I was out. It was so easy, I wish more women knew about it.

While the only working ICLIK machine is currently located in Bhubaneswar, Nayak visualizes them across the country in the near future.

Nayak said,

My dream is to have a kiosk alongside existing ATMs, in schools, railway stations and bus stations, all over the country — so that women can walk in, complain and leave without any escort or hassles.

At present, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative reports that a woman is raped every 30 minutes in India, although many say that the real number is exponentially greater.

H/T: Think Progress, Photo Courtesy: Prachet Mishra/Twitter