The end of year is usually meant to be joyful. After all 'tis the season to be merry... However, 2012 end was anything but. First the Sandy Hook massacre of innocent lives than the rape of innocence in the heart of a nation's capital. A 23 year old girl was brutally gangraped by six people on a private bus in the capital of India- Delhi. She and her male friend were left by the roadside to die. The nation has seen major protests not just locally but in places like Hong Kong and even Pakistan. People are demanding stricter laws for sex crimes and I dont blame them. The current punishment for rape in India is a maximum 10 year imprisonment and the accused can apply for bail and possibly lead a normal life while the wheels on the judicial system turn and turn and turn.
I am all for stricter laws but what good are the laws when they cannot or are not being enforced? The police, the judiciary and the Indian society in general is not sympathetic towards females. As a Delhiite, I will think twice before approaching a police man if I need help. Why--?? Because there is no guarantee that the policeman will not take undue advantage of my situation. Any girl who approaches police complaining about rape is usually ridiculed, not taken seriously or worst humiliated publically. Why would a woman who has already gone through hell want to go through all the bull shit again?
I was born and brought up in Delhi. I studied in a co-ed school, then did my grad and post grad there. I did not have a car of my own so travelled a lot on public transport and I did not have a mobile phone until 2002. I survived in Delhi by keeping my head down, never reacting to hooligans, going out in a private vehicle with friends and getting my brothers to pick me up after dark. This was no way to live but I knew no other way- until I went to Mumbai. As much as I love Delhi, I would say that I found Mumbai to be a safer city for women than Delhi. I and my girl friends stayed out late without the fear of being abducted. However even in Mumbai, we avoided travelling in the bus after 10 pm and never alone.
The gory details of the rape are still being released in media and social networking sites. Amidst the collective outrage of the nation, there are some people who cannot help but put the blame on the victim. Statements like "she should have known better", "what was she doing in company of a male", "she was out late, she was asking for it" are being whispered in some circles. As a female, I take umbrage at such statements. Last time I checked, India is a free country and it is the 21st century. Yet there are people who will not bat an eyelid before laying the blame on the feet of the woman. I never supported the slut walk or the concept but now I do. A woman should be able to wear anything , go out and stay out late without the fear of being ogled at or worst raped. Why is it that men cannot control there urges? If men can be turned on by a woman in a short skirt, then how are they any different from an animal humping in public?
Rape is an extreme form of violating a woman. However, there are other ways in which a woman's dignity is violated- almost daily and it goes unnoticed or is accepted as a normal behaviour. You would think that educated men don't do such things- Wrong. I have seen many well educated men- many of them my colleagues making lewd comments about female co-workers. Why..??? Simply because she is wearing a low cut blouse or a mini skirt or tight fitting trousers. Unfortunately, this kind of behavior is encouraged by the popular media. All superhit movies begin with the hero teasing the heroine at the start of the movie. The heroine shows mock outrage but falls in love with the hero anyways and they live happily ever after. People are fed this tripe and they lap it up. The moral police keeps raising objections on the lengths of the skirts or the nude photoshoot by someone but never against this crap that is aired 24*7 on TV.
It is never ok to tease/lust at a woman- no matter how long or short her skirt is. A woman should be treated with all the respect that she deserves as a human being- at all times. It is a crime to look the other way when a woman is being abused- sexually or otherwise. And most importantly, women should start treating each other with a little more respect if we want men to start respecting us. If a man thinks that committing such heinous acts make them an Alpha male, then they are grossly mistaken. In my book, this is an act of utter cowardice, an impotent attempt to exert one’s domination in this diverse civilization.
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