Odisha-based philatelist Anil Dhir has urged the Centre to issue a postal stamp highlighting the rising incidents of rape on National Philately Day, which was observed on Tuesday.

In his letter to the minister for communications, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Dhir has said that philately is a channel for the government to educate the populace and create social awareness.

Postage stamps have always been used in educating citizens about social causes. The effectiveness of philatelic materials for educating the population and raising social awareness is established. India Post has issued stamps, special covers and slogan cancellations (a postal marking to prevent re-use of stamps) on Swachh Bharat, eye donation, environment, women’s emancipation, childcare and immunisation, among others.

Dhir has requested the minister to include the topic of rape in the commemorative stamp issue programme this year. “Since Independence, India Post has represented women and children on many of its stamps. It is about time that this national shame too is represented on Indian stamps,” Dhir said.

He said that India Post should also undertake writing slogans on prevention of rape on its pass books, stationery and postal items and introduce slogan cancellations too.

The rising number of rapes in the nation has become a matter of grave concern. Repeated rape cases have angered many. New laws have been formulated with stringent punishments, including the death penalty. But rapes still happen and only two out of 10 such crimes are reported, he said.

The postal stamps on rape issued by Slovenia in 1983 Sourced by The Telegraph

According to the latest data collated by the National Crime Records Bureau, rape is a more common than murder in India. The menace of rape is not just a legal issue; we cannot ignore its social aspect. Awareness and education are the most effective and meaningful ways to prevent rape.

While Dhir agrees that this seems too extreme a subject to depict on a postage stamp, he has given examples of two earlier issues from Slovenia which depicted the subject of rape. The stamps were issued in the memory of the thousands of women who were allegedly raped in the Teharje concentration camp during the Nazi occupation of the region in 1943.

Dhir says that he had sent this proposal earlier too, during the Nirbhaya case and this is the least the government can do to address the public anger and frustration. India Post will set an example if it issues a stamp on rape, he said.

Kashinath Sahoo, another philatelist of Odisha, also supported the proposal.

Gender rights activist Namrata Chadda said the Nirbhaya Fund, which is underutilised by many of the states, should be deployed for this campaign.