Riots have returned to the streets of the Indian capital, New Delhi. The alleged rape of a 7-year-old girl at her school has caused frustrated Indians to again vent their anger. Rampant violence against women remains a high-profile issue in the country.

The attack occurred in a working-class neighborhood known as Mangolpuri, where schools often lack basic facilities. Police detained two teachers and a security guard in connection with these allegations. An examining doctor stated that her injuries are consistent with having been raped. Residents of Mangolpuri launched violent protests when word of the rape became public.

This latest atrocity comes at a time when Indians are increasingly concerned that their government is failing systematically to protect women in their country. The vicious gang rape and murder in December of Jyoti Singh Pandey, the 23-year-old woman who was riding a bus in New Delhi at the time of the attack, attracted global news coverage. Six individuals are being tried for the attack. She ultimately died of the extensive internal injuries that resulted from being sexually assaulted with a metal bar.

Other stories of attacks on women quickly filled Indian newspapers and websites. In a particularly gruesome incident last month, the dead bodies of three sisters, ages 6, 9 and 11, were found dumped in a well in Maharashtra after they had been raped and killed. It is believed that they were lured to their deaths with promises of food. The initial police report stated that their deaths were "accidental."

As a result of these atrocities, the issue of violence against women is gaining momentum as a public policy priority. Politicians are scrambling to be seen as reacting to these widespread concerns. In response to the rape of the 7-year-old student, New Delhi's governor has ordered that security around government schools be increased.

Unfortunately, although many proposals for improving the laws on the books to better protect women have been suggested since the horrific bus rape case first drove these concerns to the top of the legislative agenda, only a handful of changes have occurred. For example, a drive to criminalize rape within a marriage has failed so far.

India is a colorful and vibrant country, but it is also a violent, dangerous place, especially for women. Prior to Jyoti's death, allegations of rape often resulted in few arrests and fewer convictions. In a particularly outrageous example, several months before the attack on Jyoti, a schoolgirl was attacked on the street by approximately 50 different men. Despite there being video footage of the sexual assault, few of those identified in the video were arrested.

The media storm that erupted in December around Jyoti, however, has changed that, at least for a while. Perhaps when these earlier attacks were restricted to impoverished communities or to migrants, they were easier for the Indian establishment to dismiss and ignore. Jyoti's rape and murder were different. This gruesome incident occurred in a more affluent neighborhood. It suddenly became crystal clear that there were no safe havens.

Changes in attitude concerning women and their roles in society are slowing occurring across India. As a result of this slowness, celebrities advocating for change must do battle with staunch supporters of older, traditional ways.

The threats facing women are well-known to most in India and, until now, have been accepted as an unavoidable and inevitable feature of Indian life. For example, India lacks an effective means to protect its children from harm. Unsurprisingly, girls are disproportionately at risk, especially those whose lives are ground down by poverty and want.

Since December, many of the widespread assumptions about the place of women in Indian life and society are being questioned. Each subsequent story of sexual assault adds to the momentum that these debates have been building over the past three months. Both in the traditional and new media, these arguments are being made louder and louder. There is a growing recognition that significant changes are needed in order to ensure that women's rights are respected.

India is a country undergoing extensive and fundamental changes, as economic developments and high growth rates transform daily life. But the benefits of prosperity are not evenly spread between cities and rural areas or between the upper classes and the working classes. Instead, grinding poverty exists alongside vast wealth. As a result, many Indians are enraged by the failure of its public institutions to take the steps necessary to address the problems they face.

While India engages in a costly space race with its economic rival China, problems for its citizens continue to build up back here on Earth. In the 1960s, the U.S. was able to fund both its quest to put a man on the moon and the war on poverty that was at the heart of Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society because it had an economic growth rate to support such grand endeavors. Of course, valid arguments could be made about the lasting impact of those things in contemporary America.

Today India has the resources to make these concerns over violence against women a top priority. The recent tragedy involving the 7-year-old schoolgirl in New Delhi is one more example of the high cost that is ultimately paid when those most vulnerable in society are left exposed and unprotected.

To find out more about Timothy Spangler and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.