IS INDIA A SAFE PLACE FOR WOMEN
We are all aware of the Delhi gang rape case that shook our country. But how many of us know about Dawn Griggs? She was an Australian woman, who was also an adherent of Bhrama Kumari. Not only was she brutally raped, the police also claim that she was tortured in an inhuman way. Thorns were embedded in her palm and the soles of her feet were cut off. Sit back for a moment and think. What kind of a message is this sending to the women that want to come to our country to experience the vast culture that we inherit?
Today, we are all celebrating the death sentence given to four rapists that were involved in the Delhi gang rape case. To all of you out there, I'd like to ask a simple question. What was the motive of the death sentence? Would it have brought the poor soul back to life? No. It was done in order to ensure that such cases don't occur again. Has it proven to be effective? Sadly the answer still remains a no. Hardly two sun sets later, yet another girl was molested. This time, in Mumbai. When her brother tried to help her, he was mercilessly beaten and left on the railway tracks.
To all those people that say that rape happens for a reason, what could a four year old have done to 'provoke' the rapist? Please don't try to justify such acts. Even animals have specific mating periods. They do not approach partners that aren't interested in them. We, as human beings, boast about being civilized. We claim to be above animals and yet, we're the ones that indulge in such acts.
So what really IS the missing piece to the puzzle? Why did the death penalty not serve the purpose it was intended to? I believe that we are responsible for that. How many times have you heard the phrase "rarest of the rare" repeated whilst talking about the unfortunate incident in delhi? What exactly does that even mean? rarest of the rare? By constantly stressing on that, we are actually sending across a wrong message. We are trying to convey that this will possibly be the only rape case to ever be awarded with a death penalty.
Keeping that aside, do you honestly believe that the death penalty was the only punishment that the rapists received? Their photos were constantly displayed on television. A common man in india would have been able to recognise them in a crowded hall and would have been ready throw stones at them. They gathered the hatred of all the people across the country. THIS is the real punishment that they got. The real punishment was given by the media. We fail to understand the real power of the media. They have the ability to turn anything into a nation shaking incident. We have got to utilise that.
A recent study reveals that only 27% of the rape cases happening are reported. This is probably what gives the rapists the strength to commit this offence. So why exactly is this rate so low? Do we not have the best witness protection programs? Is the procedure for convicting the accused to long? Are they worried about being disclosed by the media? Answers to these questions still remain inconspicuous.
Dr. Mitra, a psychiatrist conducted a survey to ask rapists if they would have committed the crime if they'd known that the penalty would be death. Surprising, they said that if such a measure was in place, they would have killed the woman. Increasing the security wouldn't take us very far either. It would just create more tension within the country. The real solution to this, would be to make sure that such thoughts are wiped clean from their minds.
In order to do so, we can have to do two things. First empower women. Our society works on the basis of male superiority. The need to stress on it is what drives rapists to commit rape. By making children believe that their is no such thing as a superior gender, we are preventing such things. Secondly, the media should take responsibility and spare no one the is guilty. Together, we can make a change.
Work in the present, to create a future, that'll make the leaders of the past proud.
Swetha Ramesh.
