My Article on Gender Rights

Alas! It has happened once again- a total violation of a woman’s identity- Rape! And this time, they have surpassed all the limits of inhumanity, brutality, cruelty. It makes me shudder at the thought if it is the end of humanity? I still fail to believe that this incident has taken place, where a 23 year girl has been stripped of all her dignity in public, brutally raped and eventually murder. With her death, women of the whole world and the entire human race has died a thousand death.

As everyone including politicians, civil society, judiciary, law enforcement and others does a deep introspection of the entire incident, they grapple with the very question that who is to be blamed for it? While it is very easy to blame the monsters who completely ravaged her body and soul, the answer to this question is not as simple as it may seem to be.

Frankly speaking, this 15 lakh rupees compensation comes across as so amusing to me, as this will not even get close to easing the trauma of the aching family, who have lost a beautiful child, their heartbeat. She is irreplacable for the family and no amount of money, material wealth, gold, silver, or diamond could bring her back. It is a loss that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Since time immemorial women have been subjected to violence and atrocities. The recent horrific incident of gang-rape and murder of this girl only bears testimony to the fact, asserting the unsafe condition of women in society.

In recent times there has been so much hype about globalization and progress in our country. Yet when it comes to the women of the country, India does not seem to have come out of dark ages.

Despite the fact that women have proven themselves worthy and capable in every field of human endeavour (India can boast of a woman Prime Minister and a woman President) and work shoulder to shoulder with men in all walks of life, there has been no change in the manner in which much of our society views women—a sex object, a punching bag, a meal ticket, ad nauseum.

And today we observe that in spite of all the pro-legislation for women introduced by the Government of India, crimes against women are on the increase. Dowry harassment and dowry deaths are common occurrences. Female foeticide and infanticide are rampant, repercussions of which, are already being felt. Discrimination and sexual harassment at the workplace are causes for concern. Now, this incident has undoubtedly put a question mark on the wellbeing of our society. The incident of the gang-rape of the paramedical student has left India shocked and shamed. The horror that the this girl went through in heart-wrenching and will definitely shook anyone, (especially women) out of complacency.

While some protestors are demanding castration of the culprits, other have demanded death sentence for the accused. Majority of those who have raised their voice have expressed grave apprehensions on the state of affairs with regards to security of women on the streets of our country. Not only in Delhi, but in all parts of the country, outraged activists, students and people from all walks of life have taken to candle lit march in support of the protest against the incident of rape.

What  has grabed eyeballs and left everyone bewildered is the fact that, the very day when this 23 year old died, and the incident is way too fresh in people’s mind, another incident of a 16 year old girl being allegedly raped inside a Delhi bus crops up.

The 16-year-old girl claims she was raped by an off-duty bus conductor while an on-duty conductor and driver looked on. The latest attack in India's 'rape capital' will fuel the protests which have gripped the country since the gang-rape on December 16 and the victim's subsequent death on Saturday.

Before we proceed to find a solution for a situation like this, there is a need to go for a deeper analysis. There is no single reason that we can point to for such incidents and hence there is no single solution for such a menace. The issue needs to be looked at from different perspectives- psychological and societal. Delving deeper, these things are deeply rooted in history and culture. So, in no way we can undermine the cultural factors that have been responsible for this; and, the historical circumstances that have given shape to a cultural environment, where women still have to face violent attacts as such and other atrocities.

The problem is deeply rooted in the system and it has to be removed from the roots. Although women enjoy certain rights and freedom, still there is a long way to go when it comes to various movements that she can make while living in a society. As we all know, primarily men and women are still not treated as equals in our society. Right from a very young age, boys and girls are treated as different and are usually segregated. This has got to stop. There is a lot of difference in the nurturing and upbringing of a girl child and a boy child. Girls are made to internalize a lot of things about the way she is supposed to behave in society. They are supposed to play with dolls, learn household chores, and acquire skills and mannerisms which will get her accepted by her husband and her in-laws. The chauvinistic Indian men tend to stereotype women as “Sati-Savitri” type and the “Easy Virtue” type. Women who do not conform to the “Sati-Savitri” stereotype are considered to be of easy virtue and, by extending that logic to an abhorrent conclusion, makes this a fair game and easily available. They are looked upon by many Indian males as being cheap, vulgar, and lewd or any other denigrating adjective that is available. Reasons for increase in rape, molestation can also be seen as a combination of several factors like social hypocrisy leading to sexual repression and frustration, inability to accept woman as a equal social counterpart and of course brainwashing by Bollywood movies. Yes, cinematic media definitely has a role to play in this. Here, we will not go deep into cinematic factors, but still we can safely say that, even though there is a blurring of the difference between the ‘ideal girl’ and the ‘bold bad girl’; still the average Indian men prefers the stereotypical and quintessential good girl, with moral values attached to her.

Psychologically speaking, more than the urge of sexual gratification, sometimes, rape and molestation are ways of exerting power and feeling superior than the fairer sex.

The rape of the girl in Delhi indicates how people in general and women in particular are unsafe. It is not just an attack on the girl, but on the freedom of the public in general. The guresome incident of raping the girl, poking her vagina with iron rods and beating her before finally throwing her out of the moving bus was barbarous and most disturbing. The authorities should act. They should not only be content with booking the culprits and punishing them, but must prevent recurrence of such incidents and guarantee safety of women.

It is a warning signal for the people of society, especially men to go through a change of mind-set, to change their ways of looking at women as mindless objects of sexual gratification; and develop a healthy attitude towards women. Women cannot be looked at as a piece of meat. And for that India needs a revolution. The problem is not just a criminal one; it’s a social one and needs a lot of social sensitization and almost revolutionizing male mentality.

I personally feel very intensely, that we should go for what the West has resorted to. The Slut Walk. Yes, we need something extremely radical to condemn something of this sort. The Slut Walk protest marches began on April 3, 2011, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and became a movement of rallies across the world. Participants protest against explaining or excusing rape by referring to any aspect of a woman's appearance. The rallies began when Constable Michael Sanguinetti, a Toronto Police officer, suggested that to remain safe, “women should avoid dressing like sluts”. The protest takes the form of a march, mainly by young women, where some dress provocatively, like sluts. There are also speaker meetings and workshops.

On January 24, 2011 Constable Michael Sanguinetti while speaking on crime prevention at a York University safety forum at Osgoode Hall Law School said: “I've been told I'm not supposed to say this – however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.” Co-founders Sonya Barnett and Heather Jarvis decided to use the word slut in their response.

They observe that historically, “slut” has had negative connotations, and that their goal is to redeem the term. They write that women “are tired of being oppressed by slut-shaming; of being judged by our sexuality and feeling unsafe as a result.” They continue: “Being in charge of our sexual lives should not mean that we are opening ourselves to an expectation of violence, regardless if we participate in sex for pleasure or work.” Sanguinetti later apologized for the remark saying: “I am embarrassed by the comment I made and it shall not be repeated.”

The idea spread to include major cities around the globe. In just a few months, Slut Walks have become the most successful feminist action of the past 20 years. Slut Walks have been attended by thousands of women and men, and debated in the media. Indian feminist and author Rita Banerji, argues that the crux of the slutwalk is one and the same for all affliction on women. It is about the recognition of women as individuals with certain fundamental rights, including that of safety and personal choices, which no one, not even the family, can violate.

Dressing sexily and beautifully is our birth right. It is way of exploring our femininity, sexuality and a way of self expression. Her way of dressing is not dirty, but dirt is in men’s mind. We have to make men realize and understand that exploring her sensuality through clothing is not about titillating men and inviting them to rape. It is men who need to change the attitude of looking at women as a piece of meat and objects of sexual gratification.

There is no need of telling women what to wear and what not to wear. But, men need to be told not to rape women. Whether a girl wears a bikini or a saree, it is her own choice. It cannot be because she is wearing a bikini or something else, otherwise all men in he west will be playing Mr. Grab and Mr. Grope. Being assaulted isn’t about what you wear; it’s not even about sex; but using pejorative terms to rationalize inexcusable behaviour and creating an environment in which it’s okay to blame the victim.

Restricting her moves is definitely not going to control the situation. Simply banning women from moving around at night alone will not be the solution. That way, we would only be saving the policeman from their work. Why ban women on streets after 9:00 p.m.? No, ban men then, if they cannot control their perversion. There is an urgent need to change the attitude that women are second class citizens who are not supposed to be protected after 9:00 p.m., and okaying it for male criminals to roam free on the streets but not okay for decent women. A working and competent women has to contribute productively in her workplace and she certainly cannot assure that she would be home before 9 O Clock. But, our government and social system has to make sure that she reaches home safely while returning from workplace or anywhere. It is suggested that the government spend money on decent streetlights in dark areas.

Finally, each and every institution, including family, school, and colleges should inculcate proper values in the male child, i.e., respect for girls and women. Boys and girls should be allowed to mix freely so that they understand and learn to respect each other. Every mother and father should talk to their son and daughter about this. This way, things will start to change from the ground level, and initiating a process of change from the root is the need of the hour.