A total of37,630persons were convicted by first instance courts(excluding family courts)in1998,of whom women accounted for2,306persons. Although the share of women in the total has been in an upward trend in recent years, it declined slightly from the previous year to6.1%in1998.
  Gender-specific data on the ratio of first offenders in total convicts over the10-year period from1989indicate that the ratio has remained within the30%range for men but has remained around70%for women(source:Annual Report of Judicial Statistics).

Fig. IV-21 Trends in Suspended Prosecution Rate, by Gender(1990-1999)