Violence Against Women A Global Phenomenon, Says Indo-Canadian Author

TORONTO – Violence against womenis not an India-specific phenomenonbut a global one, according to an Indo-Canadian journalist who has come outwith a hard-hitting book on the issue.Brought out by Toronto-based ElspethHeyworth Centre for Women,”Violence against Women – AllPervading” by Ajit Jain, features viewsof top academicians, social activists andpolitical leaders to highlight the subservienceto which women are subjectedin all cultures.”I was very, very disturbed, as were millionsof people in India and elsewhere,by the shocking manner in which a 23-year-old medical student in Delhi wasgang-raped by six mad men and that tooin a moving bus,” Jain, a journalist, toldIANS in an interview.Though the Dec 16, 2012, incidentbrought into focus crime againstwomen in India, research shows that theissue is not really India-specific, he said.”Reports in the global media gave animpression that violence againstwomen, gang-rapes etc., are all happeningin India. India is infested with madpeople. Violence against women iswidespread in India,” he said.”But when you research, you find that itis not India-specific. Violence againstwomen is all-pervading. It is a globalphenomenon. When you read UN statistics,it is revealed that one billionwomen are subjected to all kinds of violence.”According to Jain, over 25 percent ofmen in South Africa “take pride inadmitting they have raped one or twowomen in their lifetime”.”And they say it in such a manner as ifthere is nothing atrocious about theiraction. It is like ‘so what if I raped awoman?’. For them, women are just createddifferently to satisfy sexual andother needs of men,” Jain said.According to Jain, his book is aimed atover six billion people of this world.”It is not at all a Middle Eastern question,or issues in Chechnya, but thereare issues which are more importantthan warring nations,” he said.What is the major cause behind this violenceagainst women?”The lust of human beings. More andmore people are unemployed. More andmore of us are watching Hollywoodand Bollywood movies with sexualovertones, full of violence; censorboards just close their eyes and ears andapprove anything so that they don’thave to do any explaining later on,” Jainsaid.”These factors have contributed toincreasing violence against women.Excessive use of alcohol is also contributingto this violence. And we don’tspeak out against such violent activities.We prefer to close our eyes.”