Modern India, being a multi-faith and a secular republic, does not seek its moral guidance from ancient scripture. The Shatapatha Brahman, Taittiriya Samhita, Aitereya Brahman, and Manusmriti were written when India was a land where women were worshipped. Now, thanks to a weakened moral fibre, instead of worshipping those women, we abuse them, whichever way we can. We still keep up charades such as inviting nine, nine year old kanyaas (virgin girls), treating them as mini-Durgas on Durga-Ashtami. We wash their feet and show them devotion. But at the same time, we do not hesitate to abort their mini-versions in vitro.
Given the most recent sexual assault by six alleged culprits of Delhi, I would make the following suggestions to empower women not only against the violent element in society, but also against the abusers within families.
*As families are considered the primary caregivers of male and female children, I strongly recommend that family adults recalibrate their gender-based thinking and actions. Men will have work on changing their chauvinistic attitudes towards women, and will have to start thinking of women as equal partners, not as second class members of the family.
According to BBC’s South Asia Correspondent, Daniel Lak, the Delhi based organisation, Recovering and Healing from Incest (RAHI), 76% of the respondents to its survey had been abused when they were children – 40% of those by a family member.
*A recent survey, covering physical, sexual, emotional abuse and female child neglect, found that two out of every three children have been physically abused. Government’s own survey has found that more than 53% – that is more than half – of children in India are subjected to sexual abuse. This means the likelihood that children have been abused in your neighbours or relatives family are very high.
*According to the Home Ministry’s National Crime Records Bureau, every 26 minutes a woman is molested, every 34 minutes a rape takes place, and every 43 minutes a woman is kidnapped. Delhi has been dubbed the rape capital of India with government figures showing the number of reported rapes in the city rising 17% to 661 this year. This has to stop.
*The Government of India should consider suspending all wealth-consuming projects such as, the Rs 470-crore Mars mission and instead divert these funds to eliminate crime and corruption in the country. If the citizens of the country do not feel safe, India will never be respected by Indians and people abroad. What is the point in sending a rocket 55 million km into orbit, on a mission to Mars, when young women cannot move 20 kilometres around their own cities or within their country safely?
*Hundreds of men accused of sexual violence stand in elections. These figures were released in Delhi by the Association for Democratic Reforms, a respected think tank, and were based on court records and electoral declarations filed by the candidates. The government should bar individuals accused and convicted of sexual offences from seeking any form of public office.
*The police force must be increased to reflect the male to female ratio of population.
*The police department should create Special Rape Units, consisting of male and female officers, the members of which would be trained to develop special skills to investigate cases of sexual assault, incest and paedophilia efficiently and effectively.
*Since rape of a woman is a matter of control of a female body, not sexual pleasure, training in techniques of self-defence must be a part of women school curriculum starting from age five.
*Every woman must carry a rape whistle. If she is in danger she should be able to blow it and alert the public.
*The public should be made aware of the sound of a rape whistle through radio and television ads.
*Based on the international concept of ‘each-one-teach-one’, ‘each-one-teach-five’ units should be created on university campuses. Each university student should volunteer to take five junior school students under their wing to teach them skills of self-defence.
*Like designated drivers, who are sober while driving, university and junior college should enforce the safety in numbers concept and have designated companions for groups of movie-goers for their protection. College/University Student Unions can actively and effectively create such units.
*Universities and colleges could try showing movies on campus to help avoid their women students from going far off places for entertainment.
*And last but not least, women will have to learn to take control of their self-esteem and destiny. If the do not oppose social issues that affect them, who will?
