S K Rekhi
Ghastly Delhi rape and murder case of Dec 2012 and its aftermath has emboldened the women-folk in our patriarchic society. Women as individuals, groups, associations etc. have started coming out of social taboos and subjugation hysteria to fight for their rights of gender equality, safety and empowerment more vigorously. Some women groups including Delhi based centre for Social Research and Women Empowerment Centre have come together to prepare a gender manifesto. The manifesto includes almost all the issues relating to today’s Indian woman from health care, nutrition and personal security against crimes, abuses, male chauvinism and respectful representation in all the fields of human activity in a democracy. They have just made a reference that during the current assembly elections in Delhi the percentage of women candidates is just 3 percent as against 9 percent during 2008 elections. In media too the issues of gender equality, crime against women, speedy justice to the victims of rape, molestation and sexual harassment and the preventive measures taken by the Govt and the judiciary have started finding improved coverage with larger participation by the women-folk. Though the crime against women has not decreased but earlier the percentage of reporting of such cases was very less because of many sets of reasons and after Dec 2012 incident more and more young women subjected to sexual crimes and harassment have started coming forward to get the cases registered shunning the social compulsions and inhibitions. Some bold young women during a span of about twenty days in Nov. 2013 captured the role of news makers by alleging sexual harassment by highly well placed and responsible persons. What is right and what is wrong in these case of allegations will come out only after final decision of these cases but what message these cases convey to the suppressed and silently suffering Indian women is of great importance to our social order.
Alleged sexual harassment case of 5th year law student of National Institute of Juridical Sciences, is hearing its decision as the three judge panel constituted by the Apex Court Chief Justice has submitted its report. In another case of alleged sexual harassment, Tarun Tejpal Editor of Tahalka magazine has been arrested and the case is in progress. Proceedings have also started in the sexual harassment case reported by a girl student of Jawahar Lal Nehru University against a Delhi based Deputy Director of Film Festivals of India and likewise proceedings have also started against a Kanpur based Asstt. General Manager of a commercial bank on the sexual harassment complaint of a lady bank employee. If such reporting by the young women is short of truth and realism, this will harm the cause of suffering women tremendously and if such reporting is based on truth and truth alone many more victims will start breaking their silence and this movement ipsofacto will reduce the crime against women. In view of the lax law and order apparatus of our country the women sooner or later shall have to change their attitude of suffering silently.
How meaningful these words of Karl Marx are about women : ‘‘Women are the only exploited group in history to have been idealized into powerlessness.”
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