STRONG WORDS FROM A BORED SOUL ......
out of sheer laziness and a off-late rather busy life , i am posting my assignmnet for the feminism course i took up last year ....
One cause that I think is feminist and I am willing to fight for is better laws for the protection of women. The women’s empowerment movement has begun in India and with it, contrary to popular belief, crimes against women have risen. Although women are more aware of their rights today and are also more likely to file complaints that would otherwise have been hushed up, the system has changed little. Laws continue to be ineffective and archaic. The judiciary is still rooted in beliefs that belong to two centuries back, lawyers continue to humiliate victims and society still largely remains prejudiced against women.
Studies have shown that along with women gaining economic power and a better position in households, crime against women has also steadily increased, possibly due to men’s insecurities about their traditional position being threatened. While this maybe a reason that is attributed to crimes occurring in the wake of a globalising nation, crimes against women in India (as also in other cultures) have always existed. These are not restricted to the more violent forms such as rape but also those that have continued for years shrouded in secrecy in homes of ordinary people, where women here have been burnt for dowry, kept starved, beaten up, been assaulted, and mentally harassed. A lot of this has to do with the fact that a common factor running across different cultures in India is the ‘need’ for men to control a woman’s sexuality. A lot of crimes are exercised in the name of controlling women. While this itself is shocking, what is horrifying is the way women have not only been conditioned into accepting this as just but also the fact that women themselves are trained into being a part of this process, while ekta kapoor serials might be retrograde and complete crap, their standard fare of saas- bahu quarrels do stem from a some aspect of reality!
The fact that these crimes enjoy some sort of social support is also the reason why it is the victim who has to deal with social stigma that is attached with these crimes, it is also the reason why when most cases come to court, attempts are made to prove the victim as being one who ‘invited’ the crime on herself. The fact that courts allow a questioning of the victims sexual history and also question what clothes the woman wore at the time of the crime to see if they were provocative or not is testimony to the fact that the judiciary itself is not free from prejudice and reinforces these appalling social norms.
But the greatest mistake the judiciary makes by allowing this sort of questioning is the creation of a myth that a mans sexual impulses are beyond his control and that when provoked he will respond. This not only absolves men from any responsibility of the crime but also leads them to believe that the fault lay not with them but the victim. All this along with a horrible management of evidence collected (in most cases) contributes to a low conviction rate. Further, courts stretch these cases for years on end and often, ultimately the victim out of extreme frustration and the need to put a particularly horrifying chapter of their life behind them decide to call off the case. Thus, what is happening today is that most of the time victims of such crimes decide against registering cases, for ultimately little happens to the perpetrators of such crimes while the brunt of it all is faced by the victim.
What the government must do here is to take concrete steps that would give substantial results. Simply organizing conferences and celebrating women’s day will not help improve the condition of women in India. Laws need to be improved. Rape laws especially, they are far too old and do not take into account several aspects of such crimes. The rape law in India for instance only recognizes forced penis –vaginal intercourse as rape, it does not account for the forced performance of fellatio or cunnilingus. Fast track courts must be introduced and taped testimony of victims should also be allowed, further the sentence for rape should be increased and the courts should entertain no pleas of the offender marrying the victim!
But its not just about the more horrific crimes like rape, eve teasing and sexual molestation are crimes that women are faced with on almost a daily basis in India. Delhi besides being the capital has developed quite a reputation for itself in this regard, but its not just Delhi anymore, rural areas and other urban cities are following suit, making traveling in public transport, walking alone or driving alone, a living hell for women in India. While there are several women who will protest these crimes, most times one has to back down when encountered by large groups, what would be ideal here was if people came to the help of women , but as well all know this seldom happens, appallingly, if you do stand up to these men you often become the object of ridicule! Men and women have to realize that backing down only gives these cowards an added impetus to carry on.. One must fight back and report these crimes. On the part of the police, severe action must be taken against offenders , simply keeping them overnight will no help, once again, the term served for the crime must be increased substantially and a strong message that this will not be tolerated must be sent out.
Feminism has and always will be about basic equality, its popular form has always focused on women’s rights and for good reason. One cannot move onto the question of ensuring equality for various diverse groups in society until the non-male half of the world population occupies an equal position. In recent days, political representation, equal economic opportunities and bettering social positions have become the focal point of the movement however it is all redundant if the basic safety of women cannot be ensured. It is therefore that I believe that although all around we may see symbols of women’s progress we must see the larger picture and recognize ground realities and work.. hard, very hard towards ensuring the safety of women in India so that they may progress without fear.
Studies have shown that along with women gaining economic power and a better position in households, crime against women has also steadily increased, possibly due to men’s insecurities about their traditional position being threatened. While this maybe a reason that is attributed to crimes occurring in the wake of a globalising nation, crimes against women in India (as also in other cultures) have always existed. These are not restricted to the more violent forms such as rape but also those that have continued for years shrouded in secrecy in homes of ordinary people, where women here have been burnt for dowry, kept starved, beaten up, been assaulted, and mentally harassed. A lot of this has to do with the fact that a common factor running across different cultures in India is the ‘need’ for men to control a woman’s sexuality. A lot of crimes are exercised in the name of controlling women. While this itself is shocking, what is horrifying is the way women have not only been conditioned into accepting this as just but also the fact that women themselves are trained into being a part of this process, while ekta kapoor serials might be retrograde and complete crap, their standard fare of saas- bahu quarrels do stem from a some aspect of reality!
The fact that these crimes enjoy some sort of social support is also the reason why it is the victim who has to deal with social stigma that is attached with these crimes, it is also the reason why when most cases come to court, attempts are made to prove the victim as being one who ‘invited’ the crime on herself. The fact that courts allow a questioning of the victims sexual history and also question what clothes the woman wore at the time of the crime to see if they were provocative or not is testimony to the fact that the judiciary itself is not free from prejudice and reinforces these appalling social norms.
But the greatest mistake the judiciary makes by allowing this sort of questioning is the creation of a myth that a mans sexual impulses are beyond his control and that when provoked he will respond. This not only absolves men from any responsibility of the crime but also leads them to believe that the fault lay not with them but the victim. All this along with a horrible management of evidence collected (in most cases) contributes to a low conviction rate. Further, courts stretch these cases for years on end and often, ultimately the victim out of extreme frustration and the need to put a particularly horrifying chapter of their life behind them decide to call off the case. Thus, what is happening today is that most of the time victims of such crimes decide against registering cases, for ultimately little happens to the perpetrators of such crimes while the brunt of it all is faced by the victim.
What the government must do here is to take concrete steps that would give substantial results. Simply organizing conferences and celebrating women’s day will not help improve the condition of women in India. Laws need to be improved. Rape laws especially, they are far too old and do not take into account several aspects of such crimes. The rape law in India for instance only recognizes forced penis –vaginal intercourse as rape, it does not account for the forced performance of fellatio or cunnilingus. Fast track courts must be introduced and taped testimony of victims should also be allowed, further the sentence for rape should be increased and the courts should entertain no pleas of the offender marrying the victim!
But its not just about the more horrific crimes like rape, eve teasing and sexual molestation are crimes that women are faced with on almost a daily basis in India. Delhi besides being the capital has developed quite a reputation for itself in this regard, but its not just Delhi anymore, rural areas and other urban cities are following suit, making traveling in public transport, walking alone or driving alone, a living hell for women in India. While there are several women who will protest these crimes, most times one has to back down when encountered by large groups, what would be ideal here was if people came to the help of women , but as well all know this seldom happens, appallingly, if you do stand up to these men you often become the object of ridicule! Men and women have to realize that backing down only gives these cowards an added impetus to carry on.. One must fight back and report these crimes. On the part of the police, severe action must be taken against offenders , simply keeping them overnight will no help, once again, the term served for the crime must be increased substantially and a strong message that this will not be tolerated must be sent out.
Feminism has and always will be about basic equality, its popular form has always focused on women’s rights and for good reason. One cannot move onto the question of ensuring equality for various diverse groups in society until the non-male half of the world population occupies an equal position. In recent days, political representation, equal economic opportunities and bettering social positions have become the focal point of the movement however it is all redundant if the basic safety of women cannot be ensured. It is therefore that I believe that although all around we may see symbols of women’s progress we must see the larger picture and recognize ground realities and work.. hard, very hard towards ensuring the safety of women in India so that they may progress without fear.
posted by nair at Saturday, July 15, 2006
4 comments
