This article is written by Tanya Singh a 1st year student of Amity University, Chhattisgarh.
Safety of Women in India has become a major issue in India now. The crime rates against women in the country have only risen to a great extent. Women think twice before stepping out of their homes, especially at the night. This is, unfortunately, the sad reality of our country that lives in constant fear.
FEMINISM IS A RADICAL IDEA THAT WOMEN’S SAFETY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MEN’S FEELINGS:
WOMEN’, it is not just a word, it’s a universe in itself only.
It includes a lot of Personalities. She can be a Mother, a Wife, a Daughter, a Friend, but why can’t a Women be just a Women? Why she always needs a relation to represent herself?
HISTORY:
In the Country of Sati, Seeta, Savitri, Draupadi and many more women of the remarkable personality, the position of women is not that much good which was expected. The power of women cannot be underrated. The proof of this has been the history in itself. It has been said earlier that there is nothing more dangerous than the women spurned.
Nobody even knows the story of The Ramayana, if the Goddess Sita had not been abducted. The great war of Mahabharata may not have been started, if the modesty of Draupadi was not outraged before all. So, the history in itself is a proof that what a women was capable of.
WOMEN SAFETY IN INDIA:
In India Sati, Savitri, Durga, Laxmi are worshiped by people treating them as goddesses where as there is increasing number of violence against women. The amount of violence against women has increased by many fold due to the greater exposure of women in every field of life. Women were previously restricted to the four walls of the houses and after globalization they have got the chances and opportunities to stand equally in all sectors at par with male. Women are now a days cab drivers and they are also the CEO of top companies.
It is a good sign that the patriarchal mind set of the society has changed to some extent but not to the extent it was supposed to but is the same mind set that restricts women to go out and work making them as a tool for domestication and is the same mind set that treats males as superior than female and always try to dominate the women folk.
There are different kinds of tools that is being used by the male dominated society to prove their domination over the female. Eve teasing, sexual harassment, rape, domestic violence against women are these weapons used by the male to display the male superiority. This is one of the prime reason violence is increasing in India and women safety is a concern in India.
Along with the mind set the slow pace of operation of Indian judiciary is another major reason for the increasing women safety in India. The police of India is not efficient and not neutral and that is the reason why the cases of violence against women takes long time in the investigation phase. In the name of social pressure and shame many women did not come out and report the matter to police. This is one of the many reasons why the number of cases reported are less than the actual number of violence happening against women.
It is a shame that rapes take place everyday. Rape is a disease which attacks from everywhere to everywhere. It is an evil that has no boundaries and is present in every nook and corner of the world. It doesn’t differentiate between a 3-year-old kid and an 80-year-old lady. From parties to workplaces to our homes, rape and harassment have become a norm. The survivors of these heinous crimes are then left to be humiliated throughout their life. Some of them even spend their whole “after rape life” on ventilators or they are burnt alive.
HOW TO IMPROVE SAFETY OF WOMEN IN SOCIETY:
In order to improve women safety in India the first task is to improve the number of women in every sphere of society. Along with that the change in mind set of people is very essential for the safety of women. From family to educational institutions men should be taught about respecting females. Further, there should be fast-track courts to hear the cases and they cases should be investigated in a time bound manner. Only strict laws can not solve the problem of women safety in India rather the implementation of these laws in a time bound manner can solve the issue to a large extent.
CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN IN INDIA :
Not a day goes by where you don’t hear of the news of a crime against women in India. In fact, there are at least five news articles that tell us about the horrific details of the various crimes. It is extremely painful to watch the status of women’s safety in India, especially in a country where women are given the stature of goddesses.
The list of crimes against women is quite long, to say the least. Acid attack is becoming very normal is various parts of the country. The criminal throws acid on the face of the victim to destroy their lives completely. Nonetheless, India has a lot of strong acid attack survivors who are battling for their lives and trying to lead their lives independently.
Furthermore, domestic violence and honor killings are very common. The wife stays in an abusive relationship because of the fear of society. The family kills their daughters in the name of honor to keep up with the reputation of their family. Similarly, female foeticide is yet another common crime. Due to the regressive thinking, people kill daughters before they are born. The list continues as crimes against women are on the rise. Other crimes also include child marriages, child abuse, rape, dowry deaths, trafficking and many more.
CONCLUSION:
Women in India have been given equal rights as men; however, people do not follow this rule. They contribute to the growth and development of our country; still, they are living in fear. Women are now on respected positions in the country, but if we take a look behind the curtains, we see even then they are being exploited. Each day we read about horrific crimes being committed against women in our country like it’s a norm.
REFERENCES:
- www.legalservices.com
- www.unilever.com
- www.thehindu.com
- https://lawlex.org/lex-pedia/coronavirus-crisis-no-lockdown-for-domestic-violence/20606
- Image from here
