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Once in a rare while, comes along someone like Jitender Chattar, who proves himself to be a feminist despite being an ordinary farmer in a state like Haryana, famous for its discrimination against women.
We are usually surrounded by depressing news of women being oppressed, victimized or traumatized by monsters living amidst us. But once in a while, we hear a story which is like a beacon of light and makes you hope that maybe not all is lost.
One such story is of Jitender Chattar, a simple farmer living in the rural district of Haryana. He was engaged to a girl from neighboring village and met her only once before agreeing to marry her. However, the girl called his family before the wedding and told them that she wanted them to know about a horror she had suffered before they went ahead with the wedding. She had been gang raped by eight men. These men had also taken her compromising pictures which were used to further blackmail her and sexually exploit her for a year.
The men came from influential, rich and politically connected families hence; she remained silent about her ordeal. She knew that trying to register a case or going to court will only lead to more trauma for her and her family. But she did not want to start a new relationship without disclosing all facts.
After hearing her story, Jitender decided not only to marry her but to fight and get justice for her.
His family supported his decision and went on to be a pillar of strength when he started the battle. He sold off his family property to pay the legal fees and left his family to stay closer to court with his wife. He is now studying law so that he can fight his wife’s case. He has been threatened, coerced, offered money to take his case back but his determination has not wavered.
Here is a story of a family which not only ‘accepted’ a girl who by the society standards is ‘impure’ but is ensuring that she gets the justice she deserves.
Jitender is not a hero because he married a rape survivor or because he is fighting to get justice for her. He is a hero simply because he believes that men and women are equal, he believes that it was not his wife’s fault that she was exploited by those men, and he believes that justice should be served.
This man lives in a state which is notorious for crime against women, where girls are not allowed to study because their safety is compromised when they go out, where female infanticide is rampant. He comes from the heart of such place and is a contradiction to everything he probably saw from his childhood. We need more men like Jitender, who are real life heroes and are quietly working towards making a difference in their own small way.
Wishing him and his wife victory in their fight which has now gone to High Court.
Image source: sonriseafilm
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
It is shameful that in today's world too, women are abused and even killed for giving birth to a girl, and the infant's life is also of no value.
Trigger Warning: This deals with domestic violence, suicide, and violence against women, and may be triggering to survivors.
I am so glad that the esteemed courts are now giving the much-required verdicts regarding certain ideologies that were not at all entertained earlier. I mean we all have studied this much biology at our school level and it is our duty (our generation) to educate our elders about it.
Why someone have to lose a life to bring such awareness to the society. Delhi High Court gave this judgement concerning a case that filed by the deceased daughter’s parents against her in-laws. She committed suicide as she was harassed and tortured for dowry and giving birth to two daughters.
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