The young woman’s body was cremated in a private ceremony on Sunday soon after its arrival from Singapore, where she died at a hospital on Saturday after being sent for medical treatment.

The death of the 23-year-old student who was gang raped and assaulted should spur decisive action by the Indian government to combat sexual violence, Human Rights Watch said in report on Saturday.

The woman, a paramedical student whose name has not been made public, and a male friend were traveling in a private bus in New Delhi on December 16 when five men and a youth under 18 raped and assaulted her and beat her friend. The woman suffered severe injuries and was transferred to a hospital in Singapore, where she died.

The police have arrested the accused and are expected to file charges in the first week of January 2013.

“This murderous gang rape is a sobering reminder of the pervasive sexual violence that women and girls across India suffer,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director. “The government needs to act now to prevent sexual assault, aggressively investigate and prosecute perpetrators, and ensure the dignified treatment of survivors.”

The New Delhi gang rape highlighted the widespread problem of sexual violence in India, Human Rights Watch said.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 24,206 rape cases were registered in India in 2011, and experts say the number of unreported cases of sexual assault is much higher.

After her death, thousands of  mourners marched through various cities including New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore demanding stronger protection for women and the death penalty for rape, which is now punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment, Al Jazeera reported.

Following the New Delhi attack, the Indian central government formed a three-member commission headed by former Indian Supreme Court Chief Justice Jagdish Sharan Verma, to “review the present laws so as to provide speedier justice and enhanced punishment in cases of aggravated sexual assault.”

While the government’s swift action to create a commission to review punishment for aggravated sexual assault is an important step, reform of the criminal law and procedure, plus improved treatment of survivors, is needed to ensure justice for sexual assault victims, Human Rights Watch said.