Tourist Gang-Raped After Asking for Directions

Adding to the onslaught of sexual violence in India, a Danish tourist says she was gang-raped in New Delhi after asking a group of men for directions to her hotel. The 51-year-old woman got lost and approached the men, who allegedly took her to a secluded area, robbed and beat her, and raped her repeatedly at knifepoint on Tuesday. Delhi police say they have detained suspects for questioning.

The tourist was visiting the Indian capital for a week, staying at a hotel located near a popular shopping center. Following the incident, she managed to reach her hotel where reception called police. Amit Bahl, owner of the Amax Hotel, says she was crying and "not in good shape."

"When she came it was miserable," Bahl said. "I am really ashamed that this happened."

Denmark's ambassador to India, Freddy Svane, confirmed to the New York Times that a Danish citizen filed an allegation of rape. The woman left India on a previously scheduled flight Wednesday after she was taken to the Danish embassy.

The case follows a wave of sexual assaults in the country, including a recent death sentence for four men who raped and murdered a 23-year-old in New Delhi. And let's not forget the Mumbai gang-rape incident — where a young photojournalist was assaulted while her colleague was tied and beaten — or the string of sexual violence in lesser-known areas, including the rape of a 3-year-old. They're headlines that have become all too commonplace in India, and many cases often fly under the radar for being dime-a-dozen.

Noted Indian personalities and celebrities have spoken out against the rise in brutality, and are even tackling the idea of rape culture with satirical PSAs.

An astonishing 53 percent of children in India report having experienced one or more forms of sexual abuse, according to a 2007 report by India's Ministry of Women and Child Development. More than half of children ages 5 to 12 were sexually abused, and 50 percent of them knew the person, who was in a position of "trust and responsibility."

Of course, this isn't just an Indian problem. Nearly 25 percent of men in Asia admitted to raping a woman, with nearly three-fourths saying they did so because they felt "sexually entitled." And at home in America, a person is sexually assaulted every two minutes.