The passing of Aruna Shanbaugh made headlines in newspapers all around the world recently. Was it because she was famous or for something she had achieved? It could have been but for the actions of an evil minded person who murdered her soul, her dreams and self worth 42 years ago, leaving only an outer shell alive. That person is today living freely somewhere while Aruna went through unimaginable agony and suffered all these years. Aruna’s case was one of the first widely publicised sexual assault cases in India. However, more than four decades have passed and the situation has turned to the worse.
The Delhi gang rape incident and the subsequent nationwide protests and campaigns on social media seemed to bring a change but the fact remains that absolutely nothing has changed. It is evident by the numerous reports of assault cases, which occur on a daily basis, be it the Moga bus case from Punjab, the assault on tribal women from Kerala, the rape of an aged nun from Kolkata or the gangrape of a photographer in Mumbai.
Everyone talks about strict punishments and quick justice as a deterrent to would-be rapists. Those might be helpful in the short term but in a vast country like India, in which power and money rule and everything is easily forgotten, cases like these continue to recur. In addition, it is nearly impossible to get an early trial and verdict as the judiciary is notorious for going at a snail’s pace. Moreover, this approach only seems to be treating the symptoms, while ignoring the cause.
The problem lies in the way that boys are brought up. If they are taught the importance of considering women as equal partners and how to respect them and treat them with dignity, as they grow up they will never cast a glance at women with bad intent. As mothers, the power lies in our hands. A man who has great respect for his mother will never be able to show disrespect towards other women.
— The reader is an Indian homemaker based in Abu Dhabi
