Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
A rape victim is not the accused, so the assault on her in the for of victim blaming that goes on is reprehensible. She needs justice and help.Not further trauma.
Rape is the utmost bestial and coercive manifestation of violation of a woman’s private space. According to the annual report of National Crime Records Bureau of India in 2013, 24,923 rape cases were reported in 2012. The statistics have also showed that more than 50 per cent rape cases remain unreported.
The gang-rape of a 32 year old woman from Kerala is another shocking tale of terror that has surfaced, not merely for the four perpetrators who violated her, but also for the irresponsible, impudent and callous police. It took the woman two years to file a complaint. The police tortured, blackmailed, threatened and humiliated her. She was repeatedly harassed even after she had withdrawn her complaint.
In a rape case as this, the perpetrators of such heinous crime should be ashamed and punished at once. Shockingly however, the criminals went unperturbed and the victim bore all the assault. This presents an abject and shameful picture of administration and justice in the country. Despite all the development and progress, the safety and security of women is not guaranteed nor is the promise of decency towards them.
One of the objectives of the Indian Police Service has been outlined thus: “Inculcate integrity of the highest order, sensitivity to aspirations of people in a fast-changing social and economic milieu, respect for human rights, broad liberal perspective of law and justice and high standard of professionalism”. It is remarkable that It is high time to educate the police on ethics and human values and the necessity of shaking of the male chauvinism they have so dearly held on to.
Additionally, the judiciary should hasten the process of justice in rape cases. With approximately two rape cases registered every hour in India, there is an urgent need to revise our existing system of justice. The police and the judiciary must rise above corruption and gender bias in the first place. Police training should necessarily accommodate an elaborate instructive curriculum for humane behavioural training. As law-abiders and law protecting force, they should upheld the dignity of their profession themselves.
Rape is not the shame and sorrow of the victim but of the society that cannot guarantee her safety and security! A change towards the promise of a more humane society is the need of the hour.
Become a premium user on Women’s Web and get access to exclusive content for women, plus useful Women’s Web events and resources in your city.
Image source: shutterstock
A research scholar in literature. Loves books, music, movies, cats, writing, sketching cartoons and meditating. Independent in spirit and opinion and a true dreamer. read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
Please enter your email address