Today I have taken a break from my regular posts.Today I am writing about one of the biggest concerns faced in India-Safety of Women and children.
India is yet to recover from Nirbhaya's tragedy after all this while and fear is instilled in heart of every Indian girl.The past week has been very disturbing.There has been sharp rise in s*xual abuse,child m*lestation and r*pes.Reading the news on media channels and papers everyday of such horrific incidents,there is upsurge of emotions and revulsion.I was in conflict whether I should write about it or not.I decided to speak my mind.
India is yet to recover from Nirbhaya's tragedy after all this while and fear is instilled in heart of every Indian girl.The past week has been very disturbing.There has been sharp rise in s*xual abuse,child m*lestation and r*pes.Reading the news on media channels and papers everyday of such horrific incidents,there is upsurge of emotions and revulsion.I was in conflict whether I should write about it or not.I decided to speak my mind.
Last week three incidents s*xual assualts happened in Bangalore,the silicon valley of India.
Bangalore mirror was the first to report these cases.
Incident #1:
July 14,2014: A young girl was returning from college to her PG(Paying guest) accommodation by Auto rickshaw.She never knew she was climbing on to ride of death.The moment she got into a auto,the auto rickshaw driver started making obscene comments and misbehaving with her.When she protested to stop the auto he started driving rashly and molesting the girl until she threatened to report it to the police.She took an another auto and he started threatening the auto driver to let her go.The second auto driver asked her to get down saying he does not want to be involved.With no other go left,she started walking towards PG.After a while she realised she was being stalked by the auto driver.He started pulling her by hands and m*lested her in broad day light in the public. Passer bys stood watching the girl without even having the common courtesy of helping the girl.Until a group of college students heard her cry and rushed to help her.They also handed over the auto driver to the police and helped her lodge a complaint against him.
Incident #2:
July 15,2014:Another another young girl was threatened,abducted right in front of her house and brutally gang-r*ped by a politician's son and his friends in his car in Frazer Town,Bangalore.She finally had the courage to come forward with the help of her friends and register the complaint after the traumatic experience.But unfortunately when she went ahead to register a complaint,the police officers threatened her to reduce the charges of s*xual assault to m*lestation letting the offenders walk free!There was no action taken against her complaint threatening that she will have to go through tests and other legal ordeal. Irrespective of being subjected to medical tests or not,it is duty of every police officer to register a complaint and follow legal procedures to help the victim.Instead he refused to register a complaint.Bangalore Mirror reported the incident and published in the headlines section.Deputy Commissioner of Bangalore Police,immediately went to the rescue of the victim,following which the police officer in question was suspended.Commissioner has assured to support the victim and to serve justice.The offender was identified and arrested.He was misleading the police during investigations to protect his friends who were participants in the horrendous crime.Finally,the police made arrests and are pursing action against offenders.
Following the suspension of the police officer,the ruthless and irresponsible police officer gave away her identity,personal information details like her photo,address and phone number to the media.Barely when the girl was recuperating,the media started harassing her at her door step every single minute of the day,making her life hell.News channels immediately started digging into her life and put out her photos and personal information on live television without even thinking the consequences the poor girl has to face now onwards.By now everyone knew about the victim.Her poor parents are so terrified that they have asked to discontinue her studies,never to step outside and be confined in the spaces of her home.They are extremely worried about her after the big media blow out.Unfortunately the current update is the suspended police officer is out on bail!!! Despite all this,the victim has the courage to fight this battle out and resume with her life.I applaud and bow down to her courage!
Incident #3:
July 15,2014:Just when the heat of gang-r*pe incident was still on,nation faced another shocking incident.This time 6 year girl was s*xually assaulted by her two gym teachers in the premises of the school in Bangalore.Yes you heard it right,six year old baby girl!! The incident happened on July 2,2014.The mother of the child noticed change in the child after a week and took to hospital where it was revealed that the kid was s*xually assaulted.Following which the parents filed a complaint against the gym teachers and school authorities.Media was all over the school and school was shut down following the protests from the parents who raised concerns regarding the safety of children in school.The gym teachers in question are still absconding and not arrested.The Police took the kid into questioning to show the place of crime,the poor baby.The school wants to resume with functioning of the school but parents not willing to send their kids back to school.I mean who would?Now the government is pursuing action to suspend the school license.
These are just some of the reported cases.They are many more unreported cases which have happened and are happening.Are all women s*x objects to men?Isn't she somebody's daughter/sister/wife/mother?Don't we deserve respect? Do we have to always leave in fear?This is the plight of the every girl and women in the country where one can't walk on the road safely.I myself faced such incidents where men stare at you,objectify and make obscene comments,try to bump so that they touch at inappropriate places.There was a time when I used to love to go for early morning walks with my friend.It happened on few occasions where men tried to get closer and misbehave.After that I stopped going for walks started going to gym instead.Even today,its become impossible to avoid such incidents while I am out for to buy grocery.There is crossing of that line with women on a daily basis.Even when I am out driving, guys come closer and make obscene comments.God forbid you overtake them,they will stalk you.I never overtook the neighbouring driver until there was right to way.But men get excited that a girl overtook them and started misbehaving on road.This happened again last night when I was out to meet a friend for his birthday,on the way back the a guy in a car started stalking me and finally I lost him by taking several short cuts.
When such incidents happen,people blame that it is the way the women dress which encourages such behaviour and attracts men.What bl**dy way of dressing?Women get s*xually assualted no matter if she wears- a saree,a nighty,a salwar a kurta,a pant,a skirt,a dress etc!!!In a democratic country like India and in the era of digital age,we women still don't get to wear and do what we want without drawing sick attention from onlookers.This is applicable to some women as well who gawk and look at you like you were h**ker judging from what you wear.This is just disgusting!! Forget about women for a second,what about kids who are s*xually assaulted?What do they wear?Kids are so innocent they don't even know what is happening to them.Its not like women gawk at men and make obscene comments on every time a guy passes.Women don't behave cheaply like that.How many incidents have you heard where women misbehaved with men?None.Why blame women?Some times people are so insensitive and forget the fact what an ordeal the victim has been through and tend to hurt them more.R*pes are never women's fault.Irrespective of the way we dress,does the society ask why men stare,make comments and misbehave?Why fault women,why not men?Why nobody questions men who are responsible for such behaviour?When a man exhibits such traits,it only shows the kind of twisted sociopath he is!
Have you heard the saying:"Judge a quality of a man,by the way he treats his mother".The personality of a man is directly proportional to the mother's upbringing.In India,often mother treats other women badly.This is reflection on a son's upbringing too and hence they do not respect women and end up treating them very badly.Have you seen instances where a mother won't allow her son to marry a r*pe victim despite being a women herself and not sympathising with the victim?Why punish the victim with no fault?Don't the victims deserve a shot at normalcy?
Specially in a country like a India,it is worse then hell for for r*pe survivors.So many families desert them after r*pe just when they need all the love and support.Some families try to cover them up.Some victims kill themselves because they are afraid to make a normal living.Majority of cases go unreported because they do not receive the support and legal help from the system.Protection isn't provided to the victims.Victims are afraid to come forward fearing their life,their families,the society.Sometimes families prevent victims from taking legal course fearing societal pressure.Rare instances cases are registered but never make to the court and offenders walk scot-free.If they do make it to court,maximum offenders to sentenced to few years.Coming to subject of s*xual abuse on children,there is no law in India to punish such offenders.Complaints aren't even registered.Such heinous crimes aren't even considered as criminal act.This is a shame on the Indian Judiciary System!Is this price the innocent victim has to pay in India?The inevitable truth is its never the same for the victims ever again.She has to struggle every single day and this society makes it miserable for the victims.It is never again normal for the victims.
NO WOMAN wants to be r*ped !!!No woman encourages such behaviour.In a country like India where there are hundreds of female gods are worshipped,such incidents continue to happen.Governments after governments came,there is no stringent law against offenders.Why should the offenders be spared?Why aren't they punished?Why is there is no capital punishment?All offenders should be tried including juvenile and adult offenders.No mercy should be shown even for juvenile offenders.How many more Nirbhayas should suffer a painful death?In US,the offenders are castrated and given death penalty.In Saudi Arabia,the offender is stoned to death by the public.For more info,click here.Why not India?Don't Indian women deserve justice?Not only does she have to live through what happened till her last breath but see her offender roam free and ruin more lives?What would do you think do should be done?What according should be done to the offenders?How to stop this?Is there no value for life?When is the end for all this?Until extreme measures are taken,what example are they setting for offenders or how will they prevent it?Don't women have the right to live care-free?Who gave them authority to attack women viciously?
Girls are considered blessings in disguise but this is a country which records the highest female infanticide,where female babies are killed even before they are born.Now these type of events only leads to more female infanticide.Mahatma Gandhi rightly said "The day a woman can walk freely at midnight on the roads then we can say that India achieved independence".There was a time when I was extremely proud to be a girl.Times have changed,I no longer feel that.Being born has a girl in this country is a curse.Hence the title "Dear Daughters,I wish you were never born..because this was not the way you were meant to live and you don't deserved to be treated like this !!"
PS:Guys I am not generalising all men.This is pertaining to a section who men who ill-treat women and commit such crimes.
Image Source here
