Kavita Upadhyay
Study Hall School
The concern in the eyes of my parents in the 70s when Sanjay and Geeta Chopra case shook the nation when two young school going siblings were attacked by Ranga Billa, raped and killed, we feel the same magnitude of concern for our daughters. Times have not changes the issue of sexual crime against women. The 16th December 2012, Nirbhaya case would not have been there if the governance of the country had shown consideration earlier. Rightly, Justice Verma reiterates that it is the failure of governance which is the root cause of crime against women. Millions in one voice cried for justice against the ever-increasing rape cases in India.
The voice finally shook few from their slumber and the outcome is in the form of Justice Verma Committee report. The report, though rules out death penalty but says life imprisonment must always mean imprisonment for the entire natural life of the convict. It recommends punishment for trafficking and instructs stalking should be viewed as a serious offence. The police has been asked to be more gender sensitive and to register cases of sexual assault without harassing the victim. Underlying the recommendation made by the Verma committee is a new charter of the rights for sexual offence victims. The degree to which India succeeds in becoming a liberal country and combat patriarchy and violence against females will be decided by a single factor and that is to what extent these legal rights are actually conferred on the women of India.
The report comes at a time when the situation has become gruesome, brutal and difficult to control. NCRB data suggests rape crime has gone up by 829% since 2001. What are we waiting for? 50% of the countries population is unsafe and on the verge of living under constant threat of being sexually harassed at any point of time and at any place. A constant upsurge in sexual violence cases against women have been recorded for years but ignored because of lack of political will and frequent involvement of authorities in such crimes.
The youth of the country took to the streets in a peaceful way asking for a good governance, law and order in the country to make life safe for females. Thanks to Justice Verma and his team to accept that, an attitude change is expected in the older generation and so for the governance to bring safety in the lives of girls. Of course, this is a mammoth task when the target groups involve insensitive brutal people like Ram Singh who perceive women as an object and nothing else. Strict implementation of laws is obviously a much needed tool to bring this change in the attitude. Inclusion of gender sensitivity program in school curriculum is urgently required at all levels of education.
As ordinary citizens, our role increases manifold to help each other understand the importance and advantage of an egalitarian society where both boys and girls survive happily. Empowering of girls does not mean disempowering boys. It is simple respect and giving a chance to live freely to the girls.
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I wrote about the Geeta-Sanjay Chopra murder case when the bus gangrape took place in Delhi. Geeta like me was a Navy kid, was with me in Navy Nagar Colaba, Mumbai when her father was posted out to Delhi. My father a Naval doctor too was posted out to Delhi 3 months later. The Chopras lived in Dhaula Kuan forces enclave n we in Delhi Cantt nearby. I am reprinting what I wrote on FB: “All these protests(peaceful ones initially they say) are turning into ugly street-side agendas of all political parties out of power…Ramdev n Gen(?) VK Singh included! It pushes me back to 1978 when one such spontaneous peaceful march of students from schools n colleges from India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhawan following the horrifying double murders of Geeta and Sanjay Chopra turned into just this for the then Janata Govt in power,and AB Vajpayee then Ext Affairs Min came out to meet the protesting students only to be pelted by stones (by those owing allegiance/egged on by Youth Cong, as then the Congress was out of power!). Lumpen from colleges with a reputation for just that eve teased the smart JMCites( their one in thousand opportunities to do so!), saying “hi I am Billa and this is my friend Ranga…!” The harrassment continued for us in JMC for long as the wilderness of the Diplomatic Enclave behind Maurya Sheraton was still undeveloped , n, cars n bikes speeding past had the same lumpen howling” Billa-Ranga” in them. It was scary to walk down alone to SP Marg to access public transport if classes got over before the specials’ time in the evening…the Delhi govt needs to tactfully call the owners of all news channels n request them to move cameras n OB vans out of all such tamasha areas…sadly even the precincts of Safdarjang Hospital have not been spared by the BJP, where the victim is fighting to survive! Once the lights n cameras n OBs are off the tamasha will die a natural death.Otherwise with all lumpen out on the streets n law n order impossible under the circumstances, there might just be more victims like the one the protests are being carried out for—to show “solidarity”.
Law must have a cutting edge, else, protests n a constant campaign in the media will bring out the worst in men with more baser instincts than necessary!It could backfire as a provocation, as has been demonstrated in the bus gangrape in Punjab n the molestation of a toddler in a school bus of the premier Jamnabai narsee School in Mumbai.
I dont understand the mentality of people …when a girl is molested she immediately become s the target of critiicism, people start commenting of her clothes the time of day she was out and what not !!!…i mean why blame the girls !!!? IS INDIA NOT A FREE COUNTRY FOR THE GIRLS ???
The recent gang rape of Nirbhaya reminds me of another ghastly act of sodomy,of a nurse named Aruna Shanbaug in a Mumbai hospital by a cleaner of the hospital Balmiki. It was an act of revenge, because he could not take the orders and scoldings from a female. She is lying in a vegetative state since 37 years. When I think of these incidents, I find multiple reasons, all leading to one aim suppression of women. Law needs overhauling but at same time changes are needed in the small units of the society like families, schools,offices and organisations. Once we start respecting women, the rest will automatically follow.
I sincerely agree with the changes that you suggest in the small units of society. I was discussing women and their safety with a few Dutch people when they rightly pointed out that Indian society in governed by the family systems that exist whereas, in the west there is a more individualistic sense of social organisation. Thus, I think it is important for women to first empower themselves in their families. There is a lot of disunity seen in the women of a family, usually in joint families. Mother-in-laws are constantly in conflict with the daughter-in-law, sister-in-laws might make remarks. If women in the same family dont support each other, what support system does the woman have? She is not empowered enough at this stage, to share her problems openly with society ( another face of society that disregards a woman if she goes against her own family, the one she was born into or the one she was married into).
Therefore I feel first and foremost the women should support women. If men do so too then great! Having supporters creates a sense of security. So, now with the various forums for voicing ones opinions, stories, ideas etc. such as this blog, women will now have the platform, and also the confidence to speak out LOUD!
@rohina…..the dark side is that in most of the crime rakets women are involved ..what a disgrace !!!
A very shocking truth that inspite of the social developement of our country and with modernisation of the ideas of the people of our country these crimes despite of decreasing have increased by 829%! We are the ones who let these crimes happen and we are the ones who have to take an immediate action by changing our mind sets!
Let’s keep our spirit and vitality alive for each of those girls who have gone through this. Let’s reserve an iota of anger for each of those victims who are still fighting for justice. It will make this country of Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi a safe place for women.
Why are India’s daughters unsafe, unwanted and unloved? Don’t they have the right to live? What mistakes have they committed? We boys have to realize how important it is to respect women. After all, they are somebody’s mother, someone’s daughter, and someone’s sister!
We need more boys to be campaigning for gender justice and against gender based violence. I am hoping our boys will take the lead!