Two rape cases in two separate parts of India have triggered widespread protests and highlighted the lack of safety for women in a society that is still largely patriarchal. They have also put the spotlight on how poorly victims and their families are treated.

In Jammu and Kashmir, an eight-year-old girl from the nomadic Bakarwal community was drugged, kidnapped and assaulted for days in a temple in January. She was then murdered. Eight people, including four police officers, have been charged in a case that has taken on communal overtones. Prosecutors say their motive was to drive the Muslim community from the predominantly Hindu village.