It looks like the world’s largest democracy is waging a violent war on women
By Anupa Kurian-Murshed, Social Media Editor
I can almost hear the desperate screams and feel the fear bubbling up like battery acid in my veins. A fury grips me because, yet again, a child has been raped and murdered in India.
Why do I care? Because I am a human being. I am a woman, an Indian woman.
The country I grew up in has moved far ahead in space technology but we continue to fail the girl child. We fail to keep them safe – the fundamental right of every child.
A 12-year-old, along with her 10-year-old friend, were lured with chocolates on the outskirts of Pune, from the Indian state of Maharashtra, to be sexually assaulted badly. The older child succumbed to her injuries and died last night. The parents of both the girls are sugar factory workers.
Poverty, lack of education, social disparity, religious divide and ignorance are some of the reasons often given for this plague that seems to be gripping India. But, the answer perhaps lies far deeper in a centuries’ old culture that repeatedly refuses to value 50 per cent of its population. They forget that the Y chromosome cannot exist without the X chromosome.
As per the Indian National Crime Records Bureau report released in 2016, a child is sexually abused every 15 minutes in the country, of which more than 60 per cent are girls. And these figures were released by the BJP government. But, I wonder if they took any cognizance?
Earlier this year, a Thomson Reuters Foundation experts' survey found India to be the most dangerous place in the world for women - a shocking result keeping in mind that this compares to conflict zones and countries battling civil war.
We are supposed to be a democracy at peace.
When the case of 8-year-old Asifa Bano, kidnapped, raped and murdered for her faith in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir rocked the nation in January, people hoped that there would be some change.
But, it just seems to escalate, as girl after girl makes the headlines. What has happened to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (Save and educate the girl child) campaign?
It looks like the world’s largest democracy is waging a violent war - on half its population, its women, across all ages.
'We are living in the most dangerous society'
By Huda Tabrez, Community Web Editor
Dubai: According to the Indian newspaper Hindustan Times, the 12-year-old victim died after slipping into a coma. The other victim – a 10-year-old – is still in hospital, undergoing treatment. The newspaper quoted Pimpri-Chinchwad Police commissioner RK Padmanabhan say that the girl complained of stomach pain to her mother three days after the incident. Once her parents realised what had happened and discovered that her friend was also allegedly raped, they took them to a hospital.
The parents, who work at a sugar factory, filed a police complaint following which police arrested a 22-year-old and 17-year-old.
Indian news agency, @ANI, tweeted: “Pune: Two minor girls allegedly raped by two men in Hinjawadi on September 16 who lured them with chocolates into a forest, one of the victims died during treatment yesterday. FIR registered, two accused (one minor) arrested. Police investigating at the spot. #Maharashtra”
Pune: Two minor girls allegedly raped by two men in Hinjawadi on September 16 who lured them with chocolates into a forest, one of the victims died during treatment yesterday. FIR registered, two accused (one minor) arrested (pic 1). Police investigating at the spot. #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/lX89jDkJif
— ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2018
Twitter user @sailesh2000 wrote: “More rape ... now in Pune. We are living in the most dangerous society where girls/women are raped every day.”
Another tweep @sagarmj0907 questioned why minors were treated differently in such crimes. He wrote: “Stop calling [them] minor. Reveal their identity. These monsters do not deserve human rights or anything like that.”
Tweep @imoon69 added: “Definitely, a law and order problem and our nation is going to be a threat for women in coming days.”
Another Twitter user @sonitaaak0925 criticised the Indian government for not enforcing strict laws against those convicted of in cases of sexual violence. She wrote: “Still our government is warming their chair instead of coming up with serious punishment for the culprit.”
Tweep @ShirkeSarita wrote: “Despite the death penalty, people are becoming fearless just due to the [inability] of the administration, paralysed by the government and wrong examples set by BJP government among masses!”
Gulf News sought a band-width of views on how India should find the means to deal with this problem at various levels in an earlier report
Communist party of India-Marxist leader and Vice President, All India Democratic Women’s Association
“Even though the Nirbhaya incident awakened the conscience of the nation and it certainly led to a phase of outrage and protests from young people, unfortunately, [the momemtum] could not be sustained. The kind of social intervention and infrastructural support one expects for rape victims is still absent in most cases.
There is a total lack of political will on the part of the Government of India and the state governments, especially in north India, where rapes and sexual assault cases, including that of minors, occur almost daily. But it has not moved the governments to take any action. Added to this, the role of the police has only deteriorated, as they do not take immediate action. Also, the conviction rate is very low, which encourages the rapists.
One of the causative factors of a backlash against young women is because they are asserting their rights to autonomy and independence. The retrograde forces cannot tolerate this and are responsible for creating an environment in which women are seen as challenging the so-called traditions. And this is gender-, caste- and class-based. It is reprehensible because dominant cultures being promoted by those in power today see women in a stereotypical traditional role, which does not include her right to equality.
All this is evident as one notices the kind of language and comments that are made regarding a woman’s dress, her going out in the night, etc. Imagine, so many rapes, including that of minor girls, within a week in Haryana and the chief minister of the state remains silent. When he speaks, he says, he is ‘hurt’. What an appalling and absurd statement to make! Who’s bothered about his hurt? Think about the children and women who were raped.”
BJP national executive member and spokesperson, Mumbai
“If there is one thing that needs to be changed [in India], it is the mindset of those who view women as nothing but objects. Every time a rape happens, we should be outraged. What is really important is fear of law, a strong conviction rate and social awareness.”
Shaina agrees that that several factors like economic disparities, unemployment, scant respect for women, male dominance and the deep impact of internet, especially when it offers access to subversive content without accountability, do lead to rising incidences of rape in the country.
Yet, she says, there is definitely a change since 2012. “First and foremost, you must understand that the increase in this crime has to be correlated with the ground situation, where you have people who don’t even talk about it and are wary about social implications are for the first time coming forward and expressing themselves. If there were no cases of rape being registered, that would be questionable. But the fact is that more and more women are reporting about rape.”
“Yes, there is a political will to control crime against women as in Mumbai and Maharashtra where CCTVs have been installed in every single place.” Video footages obtained from CCTVs are there to provide evidence to the police when required and says. Implementation of law is the key, like in the case of triple talaq which, without implementation, perpetrators cannot be checked.”
Director Snehasadan, a home for homeless boys and girls
Father Noel Pinto, Director of Snehasadan, an NGO that cares for homeless, abandoned children so that they grow into responsible citizens, said, “One can’t say that youngsters from broken, poor families or unemployed youth would be prone to committing such dreadful crimes. From our experience of protecting and educating young boys till they are gainfully employed, we have never had any instance of anyone committing any serious crime, let alone rape — that is until they are under our supervision.
“The crucial and basic factor behind the disturbing incidents of crime against women is the mindset and attitude towards women in our society. Lack of respect for women and treating them as objects is the main cause and this applies to people across all strata of society. However, there are chances that if a youth is unemployed, is indulging in substance abuse or misusing internet on mobile, he could commit such a crime. But I still believe, it is the mindset that is behind such crimes.”
lawyer and human rights activist
“People often say a tough law can bring about a change. But what is a tough law? Law needs to be effective and the investigating agency and prosecution more proficient and efficient. Most of the times, investigation by the police is extremely faulty either intentionally or due to carelessness. Add to that, the overburdened prosecutors and courts. So, what can one expect?
As for capital punishment, it is only posturing. The tougher the punishment, the lesser the convictions, as there’s more pressure on witnesses to retract. It’s important to note that most women rights activists did not ask for capital punishment when sending recommendations to the Justice J S Verma Committee, which was constituted on December 23, 2012, to recommend amendments to the Criminal Law.
However, what has been achieved in terms of combating the crime of rape since the Nirbhaya incident is that there is a discussion around these issues and the definition of rape was broadened. But I have a problem with clubbing of rapes. Because of giving prominence to brutal rapes, other rapes that are not as ‘brutal’ or meet the Nirbhaya standard are not taken seriously by society.
Since I am not a criminologist, I cannot say what will deter a person from committing a crime. But society needs to recognize that the Hindi movie type rape – a villain raping a girl in a desolate area is not how rape happens. Statistics show that people known to the victim commit more than 90 per cent of rapes. So, is society ready to hang fathers, relatives and neighbours?”
Noted women’s rights lawyer
“India’s laws governing incidents of rape and child sexual assault are quite good. In 2012, we changed the rape law governing children and brought in a completely new statute which provides not only stringent punishment but also has several provisions for changing the procedures to make it more victim friendly both at the time of recording the offence as well as at the trial stage. We also amended the rape law in 2013 post the Jyoti Pandey (Nirbhaya) rape and murder incident.
“What we lack is sensitivity in handling these cases. There is no one to monitor whether the state officials are doing their job as mandated by the statute. There is a big gap between the letter of the law and its implementation on the ground. So victims of sexual abuse do not get the support they need to walk the legal journey. It is a fallacy to presume that a stringent law will act as a deterrent. If India needs to stop or control these offences, our approach towards rape and child sexual abuse must change.
“We need to do a great deal of preventive work in the community and also follow the cases systematically so that the victim get justice in court and is not revictimised in the process of seeking justice.
“Today, many girls retract their statements made before the police when they come to court because they do not get any support and there is a pressure on them to retract.
“Now rape by fathers, step-fathers and family elders is increasing. This is most disturbing because most of these cases end in acquittal due to family pressure and because there is no one to stand beside her to support her. Our organisation, Majlis, provides support to victims through RAHAT programmes which aims to empower the victim and help her to understand the legal processes. This is just a drop in the ocean but more such efforts are needed on the ground to prevent rape.
“Can the prospect of severe punishment like capital sentence goad the criminal to murder to erase evidence? There is a possibility. But since our organisation does not work with accused persons, I can only surmise.”
Flavia Agnes is co-founder of Majlis, a centre providing legal services to women and children.
A misleading sense of power and authority drive the crime of rape, said social theorist Ashish Nandy in an earlier article
By Sanjib Das, Senior Pages Editor
Dubai: According to Ashis Nandy, renowned Indian political psychologist and social theorist, assertion of authority and power constitute a very important vector in incidents of rape – not only in India, but all over the world. However, what has compounded the issue in India is the caste system and its concomitant social politics.
So, these members no longer consider themselves as ‘lower caste’ because they feel socially, financially and even politically empowered. Problems arise when people from this category interact with members from the strata that are still considered to be backward or lower in terms of their socio-economic and political standing.”
The friction arising from such interactions due to opposing self-categorisations can lead to violent forms of expression that can include rape, Nandy told Gulf News. The act of rape can also be a form of penalisation of the individual who is considered to be from a class that is beneath them.
Nandy assigns the rising graph of rape in India to the growing divide in perceptions among the social classes aiming to rise up the rungs.
“One ought to remember that both the perpetrator and the victim are from the socially challenged strata. But, while one has ‘made it’ in terms of numerical strength, financial power and political authority, the other is still struggling to get there,” Nandy explained.
Apart from the social classes and the simmering discontent, another significant influencer is the skewed sex ratio in several states in India that has only deepened the malaise, said Nandy.
Female foeticide
“The rise in cases of female foeticide in states such as Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan has resulted in a dangerous gender imbalance, which has often been found to have led to an alarming rise in rapes in these states,” Nandy explained. “Owing to a shortage of girls of marriageable age in many of these states, there have even been reports of women being ‘purchased’ from other states as prospective brides.”
According to Nandy, if boys and men are deprived of enough social contact with the opposite sex, it is bound to have a negative impact on their minds.
Along with the social parameters, Nandy highlighted the prevailing climate in the country as one of the major factors that has bred what he calls a “culture of impunity”.
He pointed to the lynch-mob syndrome that seems to have gripped certain sections of the society in contemporary India.
“You only need to study the number of lynchings that have taken place in India in the last couple of years. There have been 83 cases, according to unofficial sources. We had not heard of mob lynchings since the 1950s in England - until they resurfaced in India.”
Gulf News talked to Indian youth earlier about the rape issue and here's what they had to say.
Student, Jaipur, Rajasthan
“The ever-increasing rape incidents in India are due to unemployment and lack of respect for women. On an institutional level, introducing younger children to sex education; the concept of consent, sexual misconduct and the consequences of rape may help to bring about a phenomenal change in how people perceive minor accounts of misconduct and assault.”
Student, Kerala
“The foremost thing required is a value-based educational system [in India]. Today’s youth follows social media. But research says that technology can be both beneficial and harmful depending on it is accessed by the youth. Youth and families struggling with poverty and hunger must be helped with a safety net against economic deprivation. This intervention has to come by increasing resources for public education and access to higher education.”
National Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
“The youth of today is mostly directionless and aimless. If they can figure out their motive and be centralized and channelized towards it, then it will definitely help India economically as well as affect the rate of rapes. I think the rate of brutalised rapes is directly proportional to unemployment. To expect any change in the mindset, first and foremost, the government has to start off by overhauling the education system. Including sex education in the curriculum is essential.”
Law student, New Delhi
“India has failed at many levels in taking steps to enhance the safety of women. introducing sex education in the school curriculum at a young age can make a big difference. Boys need to be taught to look at girls as fellow human beings rather than the other sex. Also, on the matter of marital rapes, the government still displays insensitivity towards the victims.”
22, student, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai
“I believe it all begins in our homes—the attitude parents have towards girls and women. Being a male-dominated society thriving on a patriarchal system, women have taken a back seat. Although this system is a little less prevalent in the urban context, within the rural dynamics, patriarchy is still strongly rooted. Women are often objectified, teased and stalked. I believe awareness needs to created not only through protests and peace marches but also in homes.”
25, student, Mumbai
“A major change in the attitude of our youth is vital and education is the key. The education system prevalent needs serious restructuring and should [also] be focused on sensitising the construct of gender, gender conflict being the main cause of this issue.”
24, student, Mumbai
“Rape is a grave issue in a country where a woman is also treated as a deity. It is a matter of shame if women don’t feel safe in the capital region of the country. A few points will make a difference: Teach children at home and in school to respect women. People tend to objectify women in India and that becomes a major reason for eve-teasing and rape. There is a need for strict adjudication in cases of rape as well as setting up of fast track courts for swift and timely justice to the victim.”
22, student, Mumbai
Social workers and NGOs can play a great role in creating awareness—through talks, street plays and campaigns.
Recommendations given in Vishaka guidelines (norms laid down by the Supreme Court on sexual harassment in work places) should be implemented in their true spirit. Community policing can be encouraged as well as thesetting up fast track courts.”
