Of Indian Women and her abuse
Mahatma Gandhi once famously quipped... "India will attain her real independence only when her girl can walk alone in midnight without any fear" . I know, I didn't translate the exact message, but the crux is given here.
I think, this is true with any independent nation. A nation that offers equal rights to all people, not only in words but in action too. A nation that treats ever citizen equally, be it the prime minister of the country or your low-lying beggar down the street, is the real independent country.
But, I have always thought why did Gandhi chose to say 'girl' rather than 'anyone'. I believe, he thought, the women to be the weaker among the two sexes and so being more gullible to torture and offence. How true this statement is! You keep hearing the news about woman child molestation and sexual harassment each and every day now-a-days and there seems to be no stopping of this.
There are only a few that catches the attention of the media (read sensation) while the majority of them go unnoticed. The news that media propagates are the ones involving influential people trying their hand with a weaker and no-voice kid/woman and trying to use anything in their power to intimidate and bring them to submission. The latest one to be in the hot news is the news that happened 19-years back, which involves a 14-year-old kid to be molested by a influential DGP of the state. Well, a man's vulgarity knew no bounds but trying to wrest his arm with a school going kid, who will mostly be his girl's age, is atrocious.
He'd get a call-girl upon his wish and whim to satiate his sexual desire, so why bother to molest a kid? These women are there only to provide that particular kick or charm to the men's needs. I'm all for issuing a very high punishment to such people. I know it is easier said than done to look at a woman to be your sister/mother/kid but it is difficult to follow, especially when you know the victim is gullible.
So, how can you stop such things? I don't think you can stop that. It is like any other criminal activity (stealing etc.,), which cannot be prevented. These are done in a spur of the moment and mostly with a great deal of involvement too. I'm not going to say that a man cannot control himself from not doing such activities. It is perfectly a controllable act, but the ego of the person and the weakness of the victim adds to the extra pleasure that he doesn't bother controlling the emotion.
The atrocity is the one that follows that act, if the man, who committed this crime is influential, he will use all that is in his power to escape from the punishment. This is where the law of the land seems toothless. It is flexible enough to accommodate the influential person and it is bent backwards to prevent serious punishment to the offender. This needs to be changed. The man needs to 'pay' for the crime. He must undergo and realize the suffering that he has caused the woman. But, are the makers and practitioners of the law listening or rather willing?
I think, this is true with any independent nation. A nation that offers equal rights to all people, not only in words but in action too. A nation that treats ever citizen equally, be it the prime minister of the country or your low-lying beggar down the street, is the real independent country.
But, I have always thought why did Gandhi chose to say 'girl' rather than 'anyone'. I believe, he thought, the women to be the weaker among the two sexes and so being more gullible to torture and offence. How true this statement is! You keep hearing the news about woman child molestation and sexual harassment each and every day now-a-days and there seems to be no stopping of this.
There are only a few that catches the attention of the media (read sensation) while the majority of them go unnoticed. The news that media propagates are the ones involving influential people trying their hand with a weaker and no-voice kid/woman and trying to use anything in their power to intimidate and bring them to submission. The latest one to be in the hot news is the news that happened 19-years back, which involves a 14-year-old kid to be molested by a influential DGP of the state. Well, a man's vulgarity knew no bounds but trying to wrest his arm with a school going kid, who will mostly be his girl's age, is atrocious.
He'd get a call-girl upon his wish and whim to satiate his sexual desire, so why bother to molest a kid? These women are there only to provide that particular kick or charm to the men's needs. I'm all for issuing a very high punishment to such people. I know it is easier said than done to look at a woman to be your sister/mother/kid but it is difficult to follow, especially when you know the victim is gullible.
So, how can you stop such things? I don't think you can stop that. It is like any other criminal activity (stealing etc.,), which cannot be prevented. These are done in a spur of the moment and mostly with a great deal of involvement too. I'm not going to say that a man cannot control himself from not doing such activities. It is perfectly a controllable act, but the ego of the person and the weakness of the victim adds to the extra pleasure that he doesn't bother controlling the emotion.
The atrocity is the one that follows that act, if the man, who committed this crime is influential, he will use all that is in his power to escape from the punishment. This is where the law of the land seems toothless. It is flexible enough to accommodate the influential person and it is bent backwards to prevent serious punishment to the offender. This needs to be changed. The man needs to 'pay' for the crime. He must undergo and realize the suffering that he has caused the woman. But, are the makers and practitioners of the law listening or rather willing?
UPDATE: Looks like this issue is not indigenous but widespread even in the developed world. Look at this news report from NewYork Times on the sexual abuses meted out to military women!
Comments
cheers,
Naren