Bengaluru: The Nirbhaya incident in 2012 was followed by spontaneous nation-wide (also world-wide) protests, candle light marches, rallies and meetings etc. After this, many were under the impression that rape will come to a sudden halt all over India. Sadly, the opposite is happening.
My 21-year-old daughter, who just finished her graduation, is working in a Production House in Bengaluru. Whenever there is news about rape incident in India, she asks herself, “Am I safe?” While she was in school/college, my wife and I anxiously waited for her safe return. Now we are restless until she returns home safely from her workplace. I am sure that this is the case with all the parents who have daughters.
Today no place seems to be safe for women. Shockingly, there have been incidents of rape that have occurred in a family/home environment involving a father, brother or relative. Girl children are worried about their safety within their own homes. Homemaker women are worried about their safety when they are at home. Likewise, working women are worried about their safety at their workplaces. School/college/university girl students are worried about their safety within their campus.
The resident girl children of Children’s Homes are worried about their safety within their places of residence. Female patients are worried about their safety within a hospital. Women travellers are worried about their safety in a travel environment. Women devotees are worried about their safety in an ashram environment. Women religious are worried about their safety within their own convents/congregations.
Why? Because rape occurs anywhere and everywhere. Any woman can become the victim. No place, including Sacro-sanctum, seems to be safe. A random search about the recent rape incidents in India reveals the following:
Uttar Pradesh: A 19-year-old Dalit girl, who had been allegedly gang-raped by four upper caste men in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras, died in a hospital in Delhi on September 29. The victim was cremated by cops despite protests by family members. Even the parents were not allowed to attend the cremation.
Uttar Pradesh: The death of a second Dalit woman at Balrampur in a few days after Manisha’s alleged gang rape has shocked and angered India. According to the girl’s mother, the 22-year-old daughter was forced into a vehicle when she was going to apply for admission at a local school. She was drugged and then raped. The girl died on the way to a hospital in Lucknow.
Delhi: A tourist guide has alleged that she was gang-raped at a five-star hotel near India Gate in Delhi on September 21. The rape survivor has named six people, including a woman, after which the main accused was arrested, according to the police.
Kerala: A 108 ambulance driver raped a 19-year-old Covid patient at Aranmula in the early hours of September 6.
Kerala: Soon after the ambulance incident, a health official in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram was arrested for allegedly raping a 44-year-old woman, who was seeking a coronavirus negative certificate from him.
Tamil Nadu: A 16-year-old boy used to visit regularly his aunt’s house at Nemili village near Ranipet. On such occasions he raped his aunt’s 13-year-old daughter. When she was 3-month pregnant, the family members came to know about this. The police arrested the boy under POCSO on September 28.
Tamil Nadu: At Krishnagiri, two high school boys gangraped a 10th grade girl. One of them made a video of the incident and sent it to his classmate. That boy spread the video in the social media. The girl’s parents learnt about this rape incident only after seeing the video. They filed a case at the local police station and the three boys were arrested.
Day-in and day-out, women of all ages (6-month baby to 60-year-old) are being targeted by sexually-perverted men. What is wrong with our society?
Certain major loopholes need to be pointed out here:
• Wife-beating (for various reasons) – Male children get wrong inspiration from such incidents.
• Disintegrated/Broken families – Children are deprived of parental love and guidance.
• Lack of Sex Education in schools – It paves way for boys to have unhealthy relationship with the opposite sex.
• Male-dominated culture, rules, laws and systems crush the voices of women.
• Caste system in which the upper caste communities continue to harass the low caste communities. The easy preys are low caste women.
• Fast-spreading and easily accessible ‘Porn Culture’ – Many young boys and men get addicted to it. They look for someone to experiment.
• Certain social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter etc. have become tools to prey for vulnerable victims like women.
• Police is found to be ineffective when it comes to rape incidents. Sadly, the victims are harassed to a great extent.
• Weak judiciary system often fails to punish the culprits. Undue delay has become normal. Delayed justice is denied justice is the bitter reality.
• The law-makers are insensitive to the burning issue like rape. Amid nationwide outrage over crimes against women in December 2019, a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government had said, “Not even Lord Ram could assure complete security to people”.
Asha Devi, mother of the 2012 Delhi gang-rape victim, said, “Such brutal incidents of rape have become an everyday affair in India, but the elected representatives do not want to discuss it. News channels will show these things for the next two days and politicians will give some token comments”. She questioned, “What after that? Are these incidents going to stop? Has punishment for such crimes been made stricter? No. How long will women in India fight for their own safety?”
“Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao” slogan has become utterly “meaningless and empty words” today. Who is responsible for protecting and educating the daughters? This question remains unanswered. Every rape kills the soul of Mother India. Hence it is high time for all responsible citizens to understand the gravity of the situation. We all need to dream of a ‘Rape-free India’ and take sincere initiatives. Arise, awake and stop not till this dream comes true.