Societal Changes

When it comes to anything and everything, we start pointing fingers at the Government and we start pointing fingers at the Prime Minister.  What do we think is Governments’ responsibility? To enforce policy and to enforce law and order? No, that is something that Bureaucrats and Police is supposed to be doing. Government is Law Maker and needs to ensure that the Law is followed adequately and appropriately. I guess most of us would not align with the aspect, but that’s fine, differences are bound to be there and that’s good otherwise neither of us is going to learn something new.

Coming to the most talked about set of incidents, “Rape” in India, well, it certainly is the most condemnable act and when committed against minors, it is indeed a sin for which death is the only verdict. But then, would a death verdict be enough to clean the societal trend of rape? No, it is not because Rapes don’t occur just out of blue; they are committed by those who are mentally sick and do not know what respect means in the society.  These are the set of individuals who are dealing with low Self Esteem and Inferiority Complex and to counter that, they commit that crime.  Now, many out there would challenge my previous statement, but I would leave it to them to accept it or counter it. What I would focus on is the probable aspects that can be attributed as the cause of actual number of cases v/s reported number of cases.

The case is not just of India, rather is across the world that the Rapist is not sentenced by law as much as the victim is by the society and the media.  What happens as the debate on rape by the traditional as well as social media is nothing but discussing the aspects of how the victim was traumatized, without even realizing that the discussion and mention of the rape as well as victims’ reference adds to the trauma of the victim. 

The societal tendency of pointing fingers at the victim and accusing the lifestyle of the victim does nothing much but add to the trauma of victim.  Do you really think that the lifestyle of a minor say a 2 year, 4 year or 6 year old would be something that would attract the perpetrator?  Hell, No, it is the sick mentality of perpetrator, the way I mentioned earlier, is responsible for that crime. 

Coming to the Police and the Court halls, there also, the cops and the lawyers don’t do the best to help the victim, but they carry on the impact of rape by seeking answers to some really lead questions; some actually go to the limit of seeking minute details of the incident and add to the trauma of the victim. 

Points as discussed above do nothing but restrain the Rape victims to go out there and report the crime.  More so, it boosts the morale of those perpetrators in many cases where the victim retracts after filing a report and the perpetrator making pun on the law by walking free.

What I feel is that these aspects as highlighted above would need let even the death penalty would not be able to put a restraint on the act of Rape.  Until we as the society regroup and rework on the aspects of what is highlighted above, we never would be able to eradicate Rape as a crime.  There can’t be an immediate solution to the Rape, but there certainly can be an antidote that would result in longer run rather than immediate case.  

We should start from the first part of “Not Accepting” traumatization by Media, Police and Cops; rather we should work together to stand with the victim to not let that trauma extend beyond the incident.  Additionally, as a society, we need to put pressure on Jury to NOT permit post rape marriage between the perpetrator and the victim; as after that incident of rape, self esteem of the victims goes so low that if they have to tie knot with the perpetrator, they would NEVER be able to grow out from the trauma.  Moreover, what would be the opinion of Jury where a group rape is committed by 5 married men?  Certainly, its time to change the society first before seeking Death Penalty for Rape.

Daughters are Daughters - Precious and Lovely

"India's Daughter" is indeed a heart troubling documentary.  The world welcomed it, India opposed it and still most of us have seen it.  Then we heard that a Delhi based businessman made "Britain's Daughter" and highlighted the Rape Crimes in Britain. Someone while discussing these documentaries and the nations that have a high rate of crime against Women highlighted "India has a rape every 20 minutes, but US has a rape every 6.3 minutes. India records almost 1/3rd of the crime against women as compared to US, but still India is not considered as safe for women as US." The point that was made really shook me off on the state of affairs on Crime against women. 

I was more shocked to learn from the various sources the kind of crimes they commit when resorting to violence against women.  Reading about the atrocities that were reported in few African countries, where they reported of chopping off breasts or mutilating private parts was insane. The logic that backed their such a barbaric act is "they wouldn't be able to birth rivals". Ah, they look beyond humanity and genocide to finish their rival clans.  Similar cases were also heard from some of the recent cases in Middle-East and a few cases in Afghanistan.  

As if those cases were not enough for horrifying someone, there tragic news is the way the society looks at those who are victimized by the rapists. Be it India, be it US or any other country.  Most of the cases that I reviewed and read about had one commonality - Victims were being highlighted as the seducers and the culprits were getting the Sympathy.  In all the cases majority of those interviewed felt it was the mistake of the Girl to either wear something provoking or to have acted in a specific fashion.  It was shocking in some the cases where the victim was administered drugs by mixing in the drinks and those interviewed stated "Why did she have to drink it, its her mistake".  Ah, excuse me, everyone who wants to have a drink is free to.  Be it Sodas, other beverages or Alcohol. 

The more I read, the more I was pained and the more I was surprised at the way the society behaves.  If the Rape victim dies of assault, people say "God Bless her, she was relieved of the pain with which she would have to live through life" and if the Rape victim survives, the same set would say "How can she withstand the society, damn, she should end her life to end the agony."  Moreover the rape victims on one side after getting hurt by the Culprits, face the character assassination once again when they report the case to police and then face the lawyers in the court.  They get to face all sorts of questions to explain the act including the way culprit behaved and touched them to the position in which they were Raped. To add to the agony, the Media does more character assassination by doing stories over stories.

All the while from the time a women is victimized by the Rapist to the time the case doesn't get over and the culprit doesn't get the punishment, the Rape Victim faces Character Assassination. The pain, the agony and the hurt of the victim is totally ignored by each one of us.

What they need as our sisters and daughters, what they need as our friends and for representing Half the World, is respect, love, care and to top it all their own space to live their life.  

Both the documentaries as referred in the start of this article mentioned "Daughters" in their title, yet they represented the Negative side of the societal norms that a daughter (girl) faces.  For them, it might just be their work (because none of them did this for Social Service, one did it because She was working for someone and that someone needed fame and TRP and the other did to counter the first one).  In their acts both of them forgot that they somewhere are talking about Daughters, Daughters who are the most Precious and Lovely for any Father and for all the Parents.  Both of them and all of us need to learn to respect them and tend them with care.