Rape. Crime. Punishment. How would one rate the impact of these actions at, an individual level and by societal standards? Does rape stand at the highest point in its demolition of society, and punishment at the lowest? That’s how the victim or those related to the victim would see it. It is indeed understandable; isn’t punishment rather futile a compensation for crime? Why does crime seem to continuously evolve and each time the result proving to be sharper? Rapists are acting as better role models than anyone else. What else can justify the repeated rape patterns around the world? Yet we seem to sit back and talk about why such horrific incidents take place. All I see around me is clicking tongues, shock and disapproval. But how does that really help any society plagued by the worst kind of sexist crime? Yes we are sensitive and yes we do know the “realities” that surround us. The superior observers with elitist opinions belong to the 21st century – educated, promising, instruments of change and blah!
As a society, we are the perpetuators for always wanting to bury under thick, rich mud the defamatory realities that would prove a menace to our polished lives.
Child prostitution happens to be the easiest beginning. It is the easiest form of juvenile rape and has undoubtedly been one of the oldest prevailing businesses.
The largest number of sexually abused children in the world are in India. And the brunt of this statistic is borne by the children who live and work on the streets. Poverty and gender discrimination have a major role to play here; girls from poor homes are sold in the budding business of sex trade. Recession of any magnitude cannot harm its process. Prostitution, rather the history of forced prostitution goes a long way. Of the estimated 900 000 sex workers in India, 30% are believed to be children. In fact it is increasing at the rate of 8 to 10% per annum. Many also believe that prostitution in India is more complicated than in other third world countries because of its traditional practices and beliefs, rooted in gender discrimination. Of course the CRC (child rights convention) has been a document of change in terms of the importance given to children as equal citizens. But it still remains a document. From child prostitution to teenage rape and murder the difference is not too vast. Only, the latter gets more coverage from the media. Also shows the inability of the media to bring out stories that take place behind close doors and those that involve the BPLs
Many stories are given unparalleled publicity in the electronic media. I have called them stories simple cause of the way they are featured, discussed and dealt with. Therefore, a story that has boiled up and quite literally is that of a 16 year old girl being immolated by four men for trying to resist rape. Death is the price to be paid for retaliation, it seems. There was one before that: a father rapes his daughter on the advice of a tantric who gave him the assurance of success. It is unbelievable to what lengths people’s actions can be dictated to adhere to the norms demanded by faith in a particular preacher, moreso in a country like India. Maybe it drew inspiration from Austria where a man rapes his daughter for 24 years and even fathers her children! What should this be branded? Blasphemy? In fact, I think it goes beyond branding. Will any punishment ever compensate for this kind of violence? How does the victim get a chance at leading a normal life after this? It becomes irrelevant that her father would be punished (not to mention the repeated guilt faced image of the father shown from Breakfast news to the news round up at the end of the day). The only focus seems to be justice by punishment. Why not emphasise on the fore math rather than the aftermath? It is indeed ironical as to how the violence gets all the attention once it has been committed and how the stories gradually lose their importance after the initial obsession.
The Goa rape cases were sensationalised so much that the rape of foreign tourists became a trend. It all began with Scarlett Keeling, a fifteen year old who was drugged, raped and subsequently killed. Then there was gang rape of a Swede and two more such cases. There was a report that questioned Goa’s growing image as the next rape capital of India. The other places soon followed suit.
There are now other dimensions to rape. Take for instance the case of a British mother who was raped by three teenagers after they spiked her drink. Later, this video was posted on you tube. Rape now enters the portals of “entertainment.”
How helpful is the media? Is it promoting rape and failing in its duty? We have debates and discussion boards on news channels with expert activists and panelists screaming and ranting. They contradict each other; try to supersede the opinion presented by one. They are battling with each other, not the issue itself. Each defines what justice is all about. How many of them actually look at why this is happening or what we can do so it is curbed? This includes our fiery Union minister for women and child development. Sometimes, rape is even used as the basis to prove political superiority; like Chaudhary’s whiplash to Mayawati after a Noida rape incident.
Stories are surfacing and subsequently, they are given a lot of space. Many say that this serves as a confidence factor for women to open up, condemn violence and seek justice. However this is only leading to a dissemination of ideas in the loose minds.
There are two parallel roads emerging here; treatment of rape as a serious issue that needs prevention or its use as a tool to prove a flawed perception that society is becoming increasingly “aware”. It is not possible to have an easy conglomeration of both. Crime needs publicity, but more than that it needs intelligent publicity that prevents chain reactions. The highlight should not be on in-depth analysis of how the crime was committed but on why, in the first place, it happened.
The Author Love me, hate me but you can't ignore me. Thats precisely what life has taught me in the last 20 years. And eventually I realised that screaming and ranting was not satisfying enough. It would be fair to say that I have found a certain curiosity in writing that far surpasses any temporary phase of illusion! Philosophy apart, I am still in that raw girl-woman stage and find myself contemplating on the strangest of thoughts, mostly on the brightest of days. Therefore, you have to excuse my randomness. After finding solid ground in literature, there is nothing I enjoy more than reading and criticism. It has been a pleasant one and half years at Stella Maris and that has led to more than polishing of my humour and speaking skills! I prefer to stay away from hardcore politics of the world, for I don't find any reasoning or sensibility there. By having said that have I put forth the politics of indifference?! Frankly, there are other issues, without political backgrounds that sustain my attention. So, in short you could call me your fairy tale loving, philosophy consumed, sun sign crazy, spaced out woman. Yeah, woman, since I am heading there!
I think rape is the biggest slap on the face of the claims of civilization by a society. I don’t know who said this, but I do think that the position of its women is one of the biggest tests of civilization of a society in today’s global scenario. And rape is ONE of the biggest indications that ‘man’-kind is not so civilized after all!
What do you people think about mandatory ’sensitization’ of adolescent boys towards healthy man-woman relationships, whether its sexual, personal, professional, social, just as friends or even between unknown strangers? For ages young girls have been getting lectured by parents, school, anybody and everybody… even rowdies and politicians about how they should be modest, how they can protect themselves, how they should behave, what they should do and more than anything, what they are not be allowed to do! Don’t you think it’s high time the boys get spoken to, about what THEY shouldn’t do and how THEY should behave? Restraining women’s freedom to keep them safe is absolutely wrong and simply unfair according to me (I feel like a woman, no matter how she is dressed, what time of the day/night it is or where she is, is SUPPOSED to feel safe to walk alone), and I don’t mean that we should get back on ‘them’ by doing the same to boys, by snatching away their freedom or brainwashing them with lies about modesty and morals. What I mean is, how about we start talking about the introduction of a program to first make teachers and parents aware about what they need to teach their sons, and then to provide some sort of ‘gender-sensitization’ education (apart from sex education) to the boys themselves in simple yet professional methods? I know, I know… sex education itself could never take off very efficiently in our society, leave alone new concepts and programs! Moreover, the society may die of a heart attack, if its future ‘mardangi’(manhood, for those who don’t know Hindi) is endangered by programs which ‘feminize’ little boys so they can never grow up to be ‘man enough’! But it could atleast get people to start talking….
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Niharika Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at
I think you have made a very relevant point there! Thats where it has to start, at the grass roots. And only that can ensure an impacting growth and understanding.
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I want to point out that as a society,
1 intelligent publicity from media that prevents chain reactions
2 focus more on the fore math rather than the after math
are good points.
as individuals, intelligence in our way of life and focusing more on our actions and thoughts is important.
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