Violence against women: Wake up call

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Violence against women: Wake up call

The author shares some of her reflections over the recent incidents of molestation, violence and casteism which come in as a warning signal for all of us. If only the perpetrators of crime could empathise and foresee the trauma of their victims.

CJ: Sharmila Govande

Tue, Jan 08, 2008 17:53:37 IST

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Molestation Cases :

I SHUDDER at the thought of what comes next. The year 2008 is probably coming in with a warning for all of us to think and reflect on what has become of our society. The Juhu case of molestation, the molestation of women at a club in Pune, the Kochi incident, the Latur rape case, headlines on the nation page in HT (Hindustan Times), ‘Molestation attempt in Delhi suburbs’, makes me wonder about how a society that has always spoken about respecting women through its scriptures has deteriorated to such a low level.

What has gone wrong? Are our men so frustrated and dissatisfied with their sex lives that they have to resort to such animal acts? Are our men jealous of the success of women? Alternatively, are they growing insecure that the opposite gender will take their place, position and status? Or, are our women unable to protect themselves, as one of HT’s very own survey findings states, “inviting trouble?”

Yesterday, when I read that most of the culprits identified by the victims and the police were young adults in the age group of 19 to 25 years, my fears increased. Social activists, politicians and development workers have been very proudly calling youth – “Our Future”. I wonder what kind of future they are meaning here. A future, where women feel unsafe? A future, where the young believe that pointing a gun and murder of your fiancé and subsequently yourself is the only answer to end arguments. What happened at the highly revered Santiniketan – an institution started by Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore brings more shame to our society.

Are we looking forward to a future, where the society resorts to violence and rage over incidents such as train delay, unending traffic and school and college admissions errors and wrong mark sheets? A future, where there is so much animosity among different castes that we immediately resort to violence and setting afire many buses cars and two wheelers, killing many innocent as a Buddhist monk is found dead hanging from a ceiling fan at his home. Or are we looking forward toward a future, which shrugs off responsibility saying, “Most of the perpetrators are not ‘sons of the soil’.”

Where do we move from here? How would all this stop? Do we enter a blame game or do we accept responsibility and start working towards change? A friend rightly said a few days ago, “Charity begins at home?” What he meant was change yourself and help change the people in your social circle before aiming for the sky. We do have many systems; however, we are unwilling to ensure the proper implementation of the systems. The BMC (Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation) has created the ALMs (Area Locality Managements) in every ward. How often do we take the responsibility of maintaining peace and order, cleanliness and hygiene, fairness and justice in our very own wards?

An active ALM would have definitely ensured that the police work faster and nab all the Juhu case perpetrators in time before people started getting the message that you can go scot-free. Alternatively, it should have worked on better security system on the New Years Eve if they were vigilant and could foresee the possible dangers.

However, I wonder as to why we need ALMs and other bodies to monitor the work of the people who have the responsibility of implementing our systems. If the police department recognised and valued their job, they would not let such incidents go unnoticed. If our education system understood its role, they would ensure that the right values get imparted through their schools and colleges. If parents understood their role, they would not tolerate any kind of deviance from their children. If only the perpetrators of crime could empathise and foresee the trauma of their victims, they would never commit such horrendous acts.

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