Prof Ramanuja Devanthan
The Nirbhaya incident in Delhi and the Badaun incident in UP remind us that we are not prepared to prevent or to protect women against such violence. This violence has got roots in our culture and community set up. The mind set of male or the State is such that they can not see women as an unbiased or equal partners and equally ordinary human beings with heart and mind except their female appearance. Their physical complexion made the poets to describe their beauty and plenty of literature talks about this appearance and even Goddesses are not left out in describing their female physique. This, of course, obviously make their counterpart to look women with different and biased spectacles and they are being treated as sexual commodities in this world. No poet of any country is an exception to this attitude. This attitude towards women gave rise to the violence against them. To prevent women from attracting male they are subjected to breast ironing an act of violence that is done by the very mother of the girl by suppressing the breast of the girl by adopting inhuman methods. This kind of inhuman and domestic atrocity is being practiced in the country – Cameroon and some parts of Africa. quoting this we cannot escape from committing willful violence against women of our country. In our country, the widows are subjected to lead an isolated life and the spouse is subjected to ascend the funeral pyre along with her husband.
In every walk of life, the society treats them as sex symbols and nothing more than that. In Indian sub-continent this kind of atrocity could be experienced in all the States. In the name of culture and tradition, the society isolates them and prevents them from free socialization. It is time that women dominate the society and enjoy freedom and independence to their utmost satisfaction. The society made them the slaves and the time has come they make their counter parts as slaves.
In a Sovereign country like India, the constitution and judiciary made provisions for strict and stringent laws on violence against women; but these provisions they are not implemented in toto. The convictions are of low in percentage than the crimes committed against women. The societal, male and political interference are the reasons for the same. If we observe the Badaun incident in UP, every body is blaming the other. Every body transfers responsibility on the other. The people must be in a position to recall the Minister in charge of women welfare or the CM of the State. Then only the politicians will become responsible and do justice to their position they hold. This may cause harm to the good ones also, but this cannot be prevented, if we want the crime to be curbed. The services of the in charge officials should be terminated at once without any enquiry or notice. This could not be treated as justice denied to an individual but it is a justice done towards the atrocity committed. This kind of fear is to be installed in the officials, public servants and those who occupy the political positions by virtue of their mandate. Just as the psychological and physical fear is created in the minds of the people on serpents, even when on hearing the word snake one is subjected to fear. This kind of psychological fear is to be instilled in the minds of the people
The widows’ status in the society is so pathetic and they are treated by the society mercilessly and their rights are being denied. They are deprived of their legal rights, subjected to forceful isolation and dependence, limited employment opportunities, and limited options for re-marriage whereas the male has full freedom to marry as per his choice and the most worst of the state is that they are not provided with a minimum financial support that they need for their livelihood. In our orthodox society, the widows do not enjoy much freedom rather don’t enjoy freedom at all. This is also a kind of violence against women that they are not given the freedom for which they are entitled.
The UN Declaration on Violence against Women states that violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women and that violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men. Under this broad definition, one can think how crimes that too domestic crimes are committed against women. Even performing caesarian during delivery without the concern of the mother or without any medical reason as some Surgeons perform now-a-days for the sake of earning is treated as crime by law. This kind of crime or violence is known as Obstetric Violence. For realizing a positive change in the society and to develop at least non-negative attitude towards women, the mind set of the people who are borne to orthodox mentality has to change. Last week a prominent Saudi writer and an Islamic Clergy Abdullah Mohammed Al Dawood reported to have stated that the working women are to be molested so that they do not go for work. This kind of contemptible statement obviously maddens the followers and they commit such crimes in reality. This may happen tomorrow with the statement of a clergy or preacher of any Faith. This sort of irresponsible and despicable statement is highly condemnable. The persons in a respectable position should hold tongue and see that their uttering does not go against the Universal Norms or Ethics. The men or the society should be habituated to respect women and give them the position they deserve. It is not at the mercy of the men or the society that the women would get this status. A day is not far away when the feminist movement succeeds in its attempt to get the status they deserve. The men should forgo their ego and respect the ego of the other sect.
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