Shockwaves continue to shake the country after the brutal gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in South Delhi on a recent night.
The gruesome incident seems to have once again sparked off debates on the lack of law enforcement against the increasing crime against women in the country.
The youth on campuses are “shocked and also outraged.” And they feel that this will be among several other similar incidents that will fade easily from the public memory. The fears of public sexual assault loom large over many thanks to the failure of the government and especially the police to act against such heinous crimes.
The Hindu-EducationPlus caught up with students of the Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies in Kochi to debate a few vital issues ranging from whether they feel safe living here to the need for urgent law reforms and moral policing.
Initiating the discussion, Susan Rachel Mathews, second semester student of the MHRM course, said that women lived in a continual state of fear. “Words like freedom and equality continue to exist only in law books. The rights of women are being encroached upon every second and every ounce of her dignity is being nabbed all because our system cannot for once stand together in one accord and strongly condemn a contemptible act and bring about justice without the hindrance of any personal preferences,” she said.
Pointing out that the incident of the paramedical student in Delhi was just one of the series of many such incidents, Ms. Susan said that many such cases went unreported or get confined to a small column in the newspaper, which was easily forgotten without much ado.
“Is this the value a woman has in society? Don’t we have the right to have a secure life? Are we not liable to evoke justice for our cause? These are the questions we need to ask society and the system. Justice has to and should be done. Indians irrespective of gender should stand together and claim the rights of women. We had enough of compromises and broken promises. Its high time justice prevailed,” she said.
Blaming the government for not acting against gang rapes, Deena Paul, fifth trimester student of the PGDM course, said that it was always portrayed as the girl’s fault of being there at that point of time when such instances occurred. “Instantly, people ask why she was there? What was she doing there at that time? Why was she with that boy? Never has it been asked why did those men do it, how could they do it, how can we prevent it from happening again, how can we help that girl come back to normal life?” she said.
Heartbreaking story
Explaining that it was most heartbreaking to witness such gang rapes happening in the national capital, Ms. Deena said that people always hoped that the government would make their life safer and better.
“There is declining public confidence in the law-and-order situation especially considering the number of incidents being reported from New Delhi. Though this country boasts of being a developing country, the mindset of the people is still stuck in the 17th century, where ladies were considered to be meant only for meeting the pleasures of men and keeping the household neat and clean,” she said. Suggesting that it was high time that measures were taken to provide sex education among boys and girls not only in public and private schools but also in higher education institutions, Ms. Deena said that girls must also be enlightened about their rights.
“Awareness drives could be conducted in low literacy areas on how to avoid such situations (and this does not mean lock up girls and women at homes before 5 p.m.). Proper education must be provided to girls on self-defence and how to read the signals of possible danger ahead,” she said.
Stating that a heinous crime like rape should deserve nothing less than death sentence for the guilty, Sharlin Sebastian, first year student of the PGDM course, said that it was high time that such inhuman acts were rightfully punished.
“I fully support all those who are rallying for this cause. I know the gravity of the situation after being a resident of Delhi for 23 years. Isn’t it ironical that a State with a woman Chief Minister is unsafe for women? Travelling alone any time of the day or any in mode of transport is extremely unsafe for women. It deprives us of the basic freedom to live without fear. The least we can do is punish those men who commit such crimes so that the next time anyone even thinks to do it, he may think twice before acting upon it,” she said.
Recommending that women should always have protective measures such as a can of pepper spray and a knife, Ms. Sharlin said that women should be taught good self-defence techniques. “Men should be educated more about how not to treat women as mere commodities. Security in Delhi is highly insufficient leading to increasing crimes against women. More women officers should be deployed to check such incidents,” she said.
Coming down heavily on the dictatorial enforcement of moral values especially when violence was used in the guise of protecting the “true Indian culture,” Anju Cyrus, second year student of the MBA programme, said that it was the responsibility of the parents to ensure that their children grew up in the right way.
Moral policing
“Moral policing cannot actually bring any change to society — the metro cities will still have a night life, Valentine’s Day will still be celebrated, and urban life will continue just as it is. A recent incident in Kerala shows how moral policing, which resulted in a man’s death, was actually used as a disguise by criminals for theft,” she said.
Ms. Cyrus said that it was even more disturbing to read of the heinous cruelty used by the moral police against the so-called “offenders.”
“Women are indeed at the receiving end. In 2009, a pub was attacked in Mangalore and women were assaulted. Three years later, a birthday party was attacked, and women were assaulted again. Is it moral to resort to such immoral behaviour to enforce good morals?” she asked.
