- As you are aware, incidents of rapes against women are perpetually on the ascendancy which is extensively reported and covered. Ever since the Nirbhaya incident shamed the entire country, any violation of women’s dignity gets covered comprehensively is an acknowledged fact. Despite considerable efforts to address the malice of pervert abuse of women in one or the other pretext, the incidents being reported have not come down to provide some comfort. Probably owing to lack of deterrence in the form of quick disposal of cases leading to exemplary punishments or witnesses turning hostile during the trial has a definite role for sure.
PC:
- In the meanwhile, women continue to remain apprehensive, fearful, and unsure as to what will befall them only amplifying what a sorry state of affairs, they find themselves in. Also, society’s appalling and despicable practice of preferring male progenies even in this age of modernity and advancements in all veritable fields simply defies sound logic and reasoning. All talks of gender equality, parity, fairness, unbiased disposition, equal pay, and some more tantamount to mere lip-service yielding little concrete on the ground. An increase in the cases of moral policing, unfounded love-jihad proclamations, and biased restrictions on women simply does not fit into the aspirational society’s forward-looking scheme of things.
- Women continue to be at the receiving end defeats this very narrative largely owing to misplaced perceptions and male chauvinism persisting despite efforts to eradicate. A recent incident in Goa again proved how our society continues to willfully desist extending equal treatment to both genders. After four men posing as policemen raped two minor girls on one of the beaches, the Chief Minister who happens to hold the home portfolio asked parents to introspect on why these young girls were out at night. Such insensitive and narrow-minded remarks coming from no less than the Chief Minister of a state only go to mirror the widely prevalent anachronistic viewpoints that always see women in a particularly skewed manner.
PC: Harish Volvoikar
- No wonder, the comment drew wide condemnation from several quarters forcing the CM to walk back saying he was misquoted, what else. The phenomenon is not new though as there have been far too many such blame-the-victim comments from Indian politicians, including women leaders. Holding women responsible even after facing blatant violations on their person is simply unacceptable. Reading between the lines of the politicians reveals patriarchy’s usual tropes i.e., women must restrict their mobility and autonomy with frightening insensitivity about the crime of rape. Sickeningly, this is not restricted to politicians alone.
- Right from police officials, teachers, men and women from public offices, and even some parents have all asked, after a crime of sexual violence, whether the victim should not have known better. It is simply unfathomable to note the underlying assumption that sexual violence is inevitable. Sadly, rape is seen as a women’s safety issue and not as male violence. Under the circumstance, it is inescapable to attach a severe cost to the political leaders failing to appreciate the enormity of the situation. This can be achieved by exercising our franchise during election time. In the interim, building pressure over available mediums should be persisted with.
