- Sara Elizabeth Mathew
December
2017, New Year in Bengaluru witnessed the worst one-of-kind case of mass
molestation against women. By midnight new celebrations became a nightmare to
the crowd gathered in MG road and Brigade road. Drunk hooligans on cars, bike,
etc came in large numbers and started cat calling, groping and molesting women.
The assaulters outnumbered the police force which was specially deployed in
that area for security during the celebrations. The huge mob outnumbered even
the additional police officers deployed in that area. We can only imagine the
helpless situation of those women who were targeted and physically abused.
‘Nirbhaya’-
the famous Delhi gang rape , was one of the most horrifying and inhumane cases
of rape that this country has ever witnessed. And the first question that
popped into the minds of our leaders ‘our-so-called-people’s-representatives’
was, “ What was she doing outside at this time of the night? Was she looking
out for trouble ?” Even here the woman is blamed and not the men who abused
her.
The
condition of women is not any better in our ‘God’s own country’. Last month a
famous Malayalam actress was a victim of
abduction and sexual abuse. The incident
rocked the entire Malayalam film industry. The actors and actresses showed
their protests though social media, various function and programmers.
An actor
has taken an oath that he will never again do a film or even say a dialogue
which degrades a woman. He has promised that he won’t entertain misogyny in his
films. His stand against misogyny is what other stars need to follow. Most of
the Indian films till date have featured hyper masculinity and shown women as
meek and shy. In most films , a women is considered ‘feminine’ if she shows her
meek character, has perfectly lined eyes, when she is draped in a saree etc.
And a man is considered ‘masculine’ if he has more than one girl and shows his
so-called masculinity by treating women inferior.
Last week
saw yet another case of rape of a minor, which got her pregnant. The accused
was a Catholic priest a ‘so-called-servant’ of God. How can a clergyman, who is
supposed to lead as an example do such a sinful act? And even here, a christian
weekly ,Sunday Shalom reported in favour of the priest and said that it was the
girls fault. That it was she who had tempted the priest to do such an act. And
that he as a man will have sexual feelings which cannot be controlled at times.
This reminds me of the words quoted by Pope Francis, “It is better to be an
atheist than a bad christian.”
For the
past few years atrocities against women have risen day by day. Nirbhaya gang
rape, Killiroor sex scandal, Suryanelli murder case, Soumya murder case,...the
list in endless. Where are the Indian ‘social and moral values’ that our
country boasts about? It is not okay when a boy and girl are seen together in
public, but it is totally okay to rape a girl!!
How can a
human being treat the opposite of their own kind in such an inhumane manner?
The social and moral values of our Indian society have gone down the drains.
‘Right to
live with Dignity’ is the most basic fundamental right of women guaranteed
under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. Even when there is a huge list of
punishments guaranteed by the constitution and IPC for violence against women,
there is no decrease in the atrocities against women.
So where
does the problem lie? It lies within our
society itself. Society is the one that shapes a character and it is the
one to be blamed when that individual becomes a criminal. Nobody is born a criminal!
We live in
a country where women are judged by the length of her skirt and the amount of
tummy she shows when draped in a saree... We live in a country where it is
still considered a curse when a girl is born.
Values
start at home and have to be instilled at a young age itself, boys should be taught how to treat girls and
tell them they are in no way superior to girls. Unless a boy is taught how to
treat a girl, only then will she ever be safe in the society.
Instead of
teaching her to protect herself and be safe..teach him to treat her with
respect.
Instead of
judging her by the amount of skin she shows judge her by her personality and
individuality..and teach him that she is not a sexual object.
Teach Him ,
how to treat Her…!
When men are oppressed, it’s tragedy.When women are oppressed, it’s tradition.
-Letty Cottin Pogrebin
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