Women are not safe anywhere in India, be it at home, at the workplace, or in the streets. India reports around 100 rape cases every day and in almost 95% of them, the perpetrator is known to the victim. These figures themselves are telling and suggest something is rotten in our society.
Our attitude towards rapes is highly problematic. Some of us like to blame the victim for ‘inciting’ the crime by dressing ‘inappropriately’, going out at night, drinking with friends, or being too friendly with men. The more charitable ones call the perpetrator a mentally sick person and put the onus on women to avoid such men. In case the perpetrator is drunk, the alcohol becomes the culprit. But none addresses the root cause of the problem, which is the patriarchal mindset of the society.
This problem can be addressed by proper education and gender sensitization. Instead of idealizing women, we must acknowledge that they are humans too, and have rights and liberties like men. Another way of addressing the problem is by ensuring a speedy trial. But the social pressure on the victim and attitude of the authorities towards her discourage her from even reporting the crime. And the perpetrator’s being someone known to her further complicates things. This emboldens the perpetrators.
It is time we started treating women as equals and stopped seeing feminism as a threat. The day we start teaching our sons to respect women instead of curtailing the freedoms of our daughters, our society will become much safer for women.
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