The time has come when we stop giving excuses. In Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words ‘“ Let’s stop psycho-analysing rapes.
The Indian government has formulated strong laws against rape.
The police force has become more active and sensitive towards rape cases. But this will only help in nabbing the criminals and bringing them to justice.
What it cannot do is change the mindset of people.
The Indian insensitivity towards gender, which has been gradually aggravating since time immemorial, has led us to a point where a woman is seen as an object. She is no more seen as a person who takes care of a household, plays in the garden or even worshipped in temples. She is only seen as an object which can help the other gender to fulfill its carnal desire – anytime, anywhere. She has become the synonym of ‘vagina’.
After all, what else can explain rape of a six year old or even a two year old girl child?
The political class of India is suffering from the foot into mouth disease. They issue statements in order to hog the limelight and forget their duty towards the people of the country which includes the other half.
Even their sympathy towards rape victims come covered in words which are absolutely inappropriate.
While a Sushma Swaraj compares rape victim to a “jinda laash” (a living corpse), a Tapas Pal threatens people of raping their women by his men. Another types of Mulayam Singh Yadav support rape openly saying “boys will be boys” and that the “make mistakes”.
Rather than understanding and taming the animal in men, they give a number of excuses for certain behaviours. Recently a minister from Bihar said that eating meat leads to rape-molestation tendency in men.
Some blame it on bad stars, others blame it on lingerie wearing mannequins.
Take a look at these statements:
- Om Prakash Chautala,former chief minister, Haryana “Girls should be married at the age of 16, so that they have their husbands for their sexual needs, and they don’t need to go elsewhere. This way rapes will not occur.”
- Chiranjeet Chakraborty, Trinamool Congress legislator “One of the reasons behind the increase in incidents of eve-teasing is short dresses and short skirts worn by women. This in turn instigates young men.”
- Rajpal Saini, BSP leader “There is no need to give phones to women and children. It distracts them and is useless. Why do women need phones? My mother, wife and sister never had mobile phones. They survived without one”
- Sube Singh, Panchayat leader’s ideas to prevent rape “Boys and girls should be married by the time they turn 16, so that they do not stray… this will decrease the incidents of rape”
- Jitender Chhatar, a thua khap panchayat leader on rape“To my understanding, consumption of fast food contributes to such incidents (rape). Chowmein leads to hormonal imbalance evoking an urge to indulge in such acts.”
- Sushilkumar Shinde, Minister of Home Affairs on 2012 Delhi Gang rape “This kind of rape should not occur”
- Dharamvir Goyat, Haryana Pradesh Congress committee member “90% Rape Cases are Consensual”
- Mamata Banerjee, CM, West Bengal “Rape cases are on a rise in the country because men and women interact with each other more freely now.”
- K. Sudhakaran, Congress MP from Kerala on Suryanelli rape case in 1996 “The difference between rape and prostitution has to be defined clearly. It is the necessity of the society”
- Asaram Bapu on Delhi Gangrape in 2012 “The victim is as guilty as her rapists… She should have called the culprits brothers and begged before them to stop.”
Then there are lots of Khap Panchayat. For them, girls should be kept in house until their marriage and same should happen while they are in their in-laws place. They have a wide range of problem with women. Provocative clothes, mobile phones, television sets, skirts, jeans and even chowmein – you name anything and at some point or the other it will be harmful and a reason for rape.
The time has come when we stop giving excuses.
In Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words – Let’s stop psycho-analysing rapes.
