Violence in the life of a woman

Namta Gupta November 25 is recognised as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The idea certainly sounds grand and noble but does it contribute towards a real improvement in the condition of women? The answer lies in many of the cases that have hogged the limelight for quite sometime now. Remember the story of Soumya, Bhanvri Devi and those Haryana girls who were battered to death in the name of honour? Soumya, a woman with a modern upbringing, represented the women of the 21st century. She wasn’t an illiterate, veiled woman, but still met the fate of the girls who were killed in the name of ‘honour’, in the backward areas around Delhi. Soumya, a TV journalist, was murdered while returning from office. After her death, the reaction that came from Delhi’s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was shocking, to say the least. “Women should refrain from ADVENTURISM,” she said. This statement is proof, that despite constituting around 50% of the population, women in India are considered second grade citizens. Rape, murders, domestic violence, dowry deaths, and acid throwing incidents no longer seem to trouble this society. When Bhanvri Devi tried to stop child marriage, she was raped by upper caste men to teach her a lesson. She hasn’t received justice till date; her case is still languishing in court, hoping against hope that one day she might get justice. If we closely analyse the pattern in rape cases and the mentality that makes men commit such heinous crimes, one would be unable to reach any conclusion. It seems, these crimes are committed knowingly, in pursuit of one-upmanship over a rival - the opposite sex. And it is not a new phenomenon, just turn a few pages of history and the brutality that the fairer sex has suffered through the ages will stare you in your face. Even during the World Wars, horrendous stories emerged of women being abducted and taken to enemy camps to satiate the desires of the soldiers. Atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers in the Philippines in World War II are a case in point. The soldiers, given a free hand by the state, exploited women and forced them into prostitution. The 1971 Indo-Pak War witnessed mass murders and rape of women. But now no one even bothers to mention such startling and gory details, leave aside talking about justice. Even today, such unspeakable violations are not unheard of. In Congo, women and children have borne the brunt of violence at the hands of both the rebels and the government. Reports pouring in from this and other trouble-ridden nations of Africa are enough to send shivers down our spine. Mothers, fearing for their daughters, have been forced to kill them to protect their honour. India isn’t free from this scourge either. Just have a look at the statistics: According to the National Crime Report Bureau (NCRB), 150,000 crimes against women are registered annually out of which nearly 50,000 are related to domestic violence. It is believed that close to 5 million women suffer from violence in their homes; however only 0.1% are courageous enough to report the atrocities to the police. Every second that ticks by in India, has a story of torture against women. According to a new report, two cases of rape, two kidnappings, four incidents of molestation and seven incidents of cruelty from husbands and relatives take place every hour, every day. The NCRB, which compiled the report, says that the numbers are increasing at an alarming rate. The Bureau records show 19,348 women were raped in 2006 – the number is almost 1,000 more than the 2005 figures. Rape has become a bigger problem than murder, kidnapping and robbery. In fact, such is the situation that Delhi - the capital of India - is being called the ‘rape capital’ and one of the most unsafe places for women on earth. And this situation is when this city boasts of a woman CM, a woman Mayor and is the residence of the most powerful woman in the country, Sonia Gandhi! The question that should bother everyone is: Why is the state of women so dismal in our country? The problem perhaps lies in the system; our police force has become immune and insensitive to crimes against women. Custodial rape and torture of women don’t bother us anymore. When we read such news in papers, our first reaction is to turn the page; after all who would want to start the day with a story of brutality? Leave aside some anonymous cases of some anonymous women, even the sensational ones do not see the light of the day. In 2004, the rape and murder of 32-year-old Thangjam Manorama by federal soldiers in Manipur shook the entire nation. The anger was so high that over 40 women protested naked with slogans like “Indian Army rape us” and “Indian Army takes our flesh” against the violence allegedly used by the Army to subjugate people. But what happened after that? Nothing! People seem to have forgotten the case altogether. Just take a look at some more cases to refresh your memory about what the society is forgetting: In 2002, a young mentally-challenged girl was raped in a Mumbai local train. Sounds like a routine story? Well this happened when five people were present in the compartment but did nothing to stop such beastly act. Trafficking is another issue that has not been addressed properly. Young girls are abducted and shoved into prostitution and most die catering to ‘clients’. The pimp-police nexus has been debated for so long but nothing has been done to break it. The Government of Nepal estimated that in 1992, not less than 200,000 Nepalese women and girls were working in brothels in India. A considerable number had been either forcefully abducted or tricked into going to India and had been sold to brothel owners. Female foeticide too seems to have societal approval. In the 2001 census, the sex ratio was 933. The girl child is still considered a burden in most Indian households. This is one country where a girl isn’t safe even in her mother’s womb. Legislations such as Domestic Violence Against Women (Prevention) Act are still to deliver results. How much do we care for women in this “Goddess worshipping” country can be gauged from the way we perceive our women. For us they are not equal partners but rather subjugated beings that require ‘Taadan’ (beating) to make them obedient, to quote Tulsidas. Nothing has changed over the years - the perception, the exploitation, everything remains the same. So why should we observe November 25 as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women? What difference would this make to the mute millions that undergo torture everyday? We need to make world a safer place for our women and the first step towards this goal is effective policing. Police should be able to instill confidence in the victim, not scare him/her away from the police station. Fast track courts should be established to settle cases involving women in a given time frame. The rehabilitation of victim should also be a priority of the state. Sensitization of masses should be taken at war-scale and this should start at grassroots level, i.e. from schools. Children must be taught to respect each other irrespective of one’s gender. Any molestation, eve teasing or harassment must not be tolerated and the victim must be encouraged to speak up. The aforesaid steps are very basic and only these can bring in change. What really requires change is ‘attitude’ of the society towards the fairer sex. Till then we would have to wait for our Bhanwari Devis and Soumyas to get justice…