Indian child's
© AFP 2016/ Noah SEELAM
The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has become infamous due to the increasing incidents of rape but what is more disturbing is that many of these rapes are recorded and sold as 'rape videos' brazenly in the market at throw away prices.

'Rape videos' have become a new trend in the state of Uttar Pradesh and they can be found all over the state. These rape videos are in high demand and they are being sold with a price tag from 75 US cents to $3, depending upon the exclusivity of the clips.

Real life rape videos have become a craze among the youth, surpassing the demand for regular porn clips. Shopkeepers sell the videos by directly downloading them into smartphones or put them in a thumb drive.

It has been observed that in several cases, culprits involved in rapes take video of the crime and post them online.

In a recent case of rape in Uttar Pradesh, the culprits filmed the whole incident and sold the 'rape video' in the market. These rape videos are also used by the culprits to threaten the victim so that they do not complain to the police and in some cases culprits also force the victim into further sexual submission.

These 'rape videos' have become a fad in the state and are sold in different cities. In order to buy them, you require an introduction from a previous customer, making it difficult for the police to make prosecutions.

"These videos are one of the main reasons for the increasing incidents of sexual crimes against women in India. The government should make it a criminal offense to check the online posting and sale of these videos," Ranjana Kumari, Director, Center for Social Research told Sputnik.