Here's my winning entry for the Bhavans Essay Writing Competition.
ARE WOMEN REALLY SAFE IN INDIA?
When was the last time you remember
seeing a young girl, passing through a street full of men, not getting leers,
wolf-whistles and cheap comments passed upon her, or rather thrown upon her, by
the street hoodlums? Don’t remember? Or such a scene seems unimaginable? That’s
exactly the picture of safety of women on the streets of India. Not a single
day passes without the news of women being molested, eve-teased, raped and
assaulted in newspapers and news channels. Everyday, there’s a new case of
molestation, rape, suicide due to dowry harassment etc recorded and every time
there is an outrage all over the nation. But does that really change anything?
The answer is no. The case drags on in the files of the courts, the victim has
little hope of getting justice and in the end, such vile men get more
confidence in doing such shameful act of disgrace.
After the rape of a twenty-three year
old student in a moving bus by five men in the capital of the nation, there was
a huge outcry in the country against the disgusting crime. People came out on
the streets to protest against the government’s inability to stop such crimes.
People wanted to know how these men got so much confidence in committing such a
disgraceful act. But even after that, was there any major change in the
attitude of the government in handling such situations? No. Women are still
unsafe on the streets of India. Yes, it’s true that the parliament had made the
punishment for the rape accused more stringent, but that punishment is only
possible if the accused is found guilty after a long trial and investigation by
the court. In the mean time, the accused can roam around by his free will.
Does it do any good to the mental condition of the already scarred victims?
Fast track courts though established in some places are yet to be set up in
some major cities of the country. Even though the judicial system is trying to
do its best, the major problem is the mentality of the people. Many cases are
not even recorded as the family thinks about what others might think about
them. No one considers the mental state of the victim.
Was India always this unsafe for
women? Did women always have to think twice before boarding an empty train
compartment? Were women always so skeptical about walking through a secluded
lane, alone? If no, then what happened to India over the years? How did the
streets became so unsafe? According to me, it’s the attitude of the men towards
women which has degraded over the years. Yes, women were always considered
inferior to men, which is sad but true, but never did men had such attitude
towards women, branding them as mere commodities. Maybe it is because of the
influence of the western maybe because of our own film industry. But, whatever
the cause may be, it cannot be denied that women are vulnerable even in what
was considered to be an ideal and safe country for women. The growing rates in
crime speak otherwise. Sadly, India has become one of the most unsafe countries
in the world for women.
So in the end, the question is what
exactly needs to be done to make women more secure in this country? How can the
world’s largest democracy also become one of the safest countries for women,
like before? Firstly, the attitude of the people towards raped and molested
victims needs to be changed .They should feel more confident in approaching the
police for recording their statement, and not hesitant like the case is now.
Secondly, the attitude of men towards the women has to change. Men should
realize that there is more to a girl than just her body. They should realize
the mental torture a girl undergoes after being molested or raped by vile men.
Moreover, they should realize that men and women are equal and God has made no
discrimination between them. The
day India has zero crime rate against women, will be the day that India
has actually progressed. Only when the women of India are safe enough to go out on a street alone, without any fear, will I say that I am proud to be an Indian. Only then, will India be fully developed. Yes it is a
distant dream, but change only comes when you dream and I dream for an India
which can keep its women safe.
YOU MAY SAY I'M A DREAMER,
BUT I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE.
I HOPE ONE DAY YOU'LL JOIN US
AND THE WORLD WILL BE AS ONE.
-John Lennon
