कोरोना महामारी के कारण हुए लॉक-डाउन में छात्र-मशाल का (अप्रैल-मई )अंक ऑनलाइन उपलब्ध है।
लेख संख्या-02
It is not an unknown fact that in India women are regarded as 'second class citizens', who are either 'weak and meek' or 'always asking for it'. They are considered to be worthy of nothing but sexual control and violence, submission and an undignified life. All of these problematic yet prevalent ideas have existed in the society for the longest of time. They remain largely unchecked as well.
Ideas and norms like these are a part of a larger problem called 'The Rape Culture'. There is a misconception in people regarding this term. Many think that rape is not a part of 'culture'. Culture refers to the ideas, belifes, norms, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society thefore, even crimes, social evils, misogyny, patriarchy etc are a part of culture. Rape Culture refers to the social environment in which rape and predatory behaviour are existent and normalized due to regressive societal belifes and norms constructed around gender and sexuality.
Behaviours, attitudes, ideas that account for rape culture can vary from being as seemingly harmless as sexist jokes to being as apparently harmful as sexual violence and assault, and everything in between. As much as we hate to admit it, our day to day activities, behaviours, ideas, conversations are full of instances that normalise rape. For example, sexual objectification of women, cat calling, slut shaming, blaming the victim for the sexual assault, trivializing rape through rape jokes, usage of gendered profanity to verbally cause a 'sexual attack' on the female members of one's family, attaching women's 'chastity' to the honour of the family, ostracization of surviours of sexual assaults etc. Acceptance of less severe pro-rape attitude normalises more severe ones and it continues to result in rape of numerous people.
Patriarchy leads to misogyny and sexism and normalization of various aspects of these two, leads to rape culture. But who perpetrates the rape culture? An individual? Families? Or a community? Or only certain communities? Does the media do it? Does the state do it as well? The answer is that all of us are responsible for it. Most individuals, families, neighbourhoods, institutions and even huge entities like a state and its machinery can be perpetrators of the rape culture.
We don't have to look far from our own houses for examples. Groups of people cracking rape jokes, marital rapes happening in almost every household where consent after marriage isn't even seen as a requirement are classic examples of how the society is a breeding ground for rape culture. Girls being told to cover themselves up around men since exposed skin is provocative and 'invites' men is an example of subtle form of victim blaming. Cinema in India has often sexually objectified the bodies of women using item songs and vulgar lyrics, disregarding their consent and portraying them as objects for sexual gratification. Heroines are often shown driven towards the abusive hero who disrupts her privacy, doesn't take her consent, forces her into physical intimacy, disregards her sexuality. An example of it is the recent movie called Kabir Singh. Movies like these send a wrong message in the audience and normalizes these acts. Sadly, even the state, which we think has institutions to safe guard women against such sexual violence, is a part of the whole problematic system. From protecting the powerful sections against charges of rape, electing alleged rapists to the Parliament who make laws for women to an insensitive police system infested by rape culture in itself and slow, incompetent judiciary, all of them are a part of the problem.
Being a part of the problem doesn't necessarily mean that one is going to become a rapist, but it surely means that one can be a potential rapist or feed the mind of a potential rapist, i.e. contributing to the problem.
The Rape Culture is detrimental for both women and men. It robs women of their freedom, their right to live a dignified and safe life, free from fear, guilt, anger and in worst cases depression and self harm. It also blurs her understanding of what is sexual harrsesment and what is not. Many women do not consider behaviors like stalking and eve teasing as problematic or a 'big deal' due to the normalization of such actions. In the case of men, the rape culture trivializes and ignores the rape of men totally. It also gives rise to toxic, aggressive and predatory behaviours in a lot of men. Therefore, the problem of rape culture needs an effective and long term solution.
According to the latest government figures, Indian police registered 33,658 cases of rape in 2017. Experts say that a woman is raped in India every 16 minutes. According to the National Crime Records Bureau data from 2017, 93% of all rapes in India are perpetrated by people known to the victim Rape is a non-bailable offense in the Indian penal code. But people do get bail because of a lack of evidence (in many cases). The accused are often sheltered by police, or politicians, or even lawyers. The rape problem in India is not just a legal issue, as one cannot ignore its social aspect.
We have a patriarchal society in India, which gives more importance to men. Children internalize this at a very young age. A girl's wishes and her opinions are not considered as important as that of a boy's. The female child learns to be subservient from the beginning.
Repeated rape cases have angered many Indians. Some are now demanding capital punishment for rapists. And there have also been calls for authorities to publicly hang the culprits. This shows a rise in violent tendencies in the country.
On December 6, the police shot all four accused of the Hyderabad rape case in an alleged extra-judicial killing. Many Indians lauded the police officers for dispensing "justice." Videos on social media showed women in Hyderabad city sharing sweets and celebrating the killings. Low conviction rate and the flaws in the country's judicial system are giving way to vigilante justice.
Although the government has doubled prison terms for rapists to 20 years, civil society activists continue to demand a quicker implementation of the laws.
It is often believed that strict laws can bring about change. But what is a strict law? Law needs to be effective and the investigating agency and prosecution more proficient and efficient. The government must set up a special unit that recruits and trains officers specifically to deal with sexual offences, and create easy access to doctors, forensic experts, rape survivors and psychologists. This will help victims feel confident in coming forward to seek justice. All registered offences must be dealt with by this unit within a month using fast-track courts. India’s police force, heavily overworked, mostly desensitised and routinely pulled in different directions, can no longer be counted on to devote the time and dedication needed to deal with this deep and wide social issue. Predators must know that justice is swift and favourable to victims. India’s approach to curbing sexual aggression must steer clear of diminishing women, and root out reckless patriarchal attitudes instead.
Recently Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao told transport workers to keep women workers away from night-shift roles —reinforcing that the onus on staying safe is on women. This is a misguided approach. It is men who should be held accountable for a problem that has everything to do with them, and nothing to do with women. That problem is a culture of misogyny, aggressiveness and normalised sexual abuse towards women. To even begin an attempt to alter this, we need a robust conversation around men, which has to begin in schools, public fora and highest offices. Boys have to be taught that it’s wrong to talk disparagingly about women, feel up girls surreptitiously, make lewd remarks and leer at them. This cannot be left to parents alone. It should be a part of the school curriculum from primary school onwards, where attitudes are shaped. For older students, gender sensitisation classes and tests should be mandatory. Violence against women is so deeply rooted in India, that this sensitisation should be prioritised as much as basic reading and writing skills. Girls must be encouraged to be strong, vocal and intolerant of transgressions, however small.
Workplaces must crack down on men who make sexualised jokes. We should stop taking sexually offensive banter lightly, because it leads to a desensitisation, which starts casually and eventually normalises sexual violence.
Most importantly, public office bearers and role models need to stop blaming women for their choice of dress or work hours, because that does nothing to make India safer for women. Moreover movies that are a product of patriarchy and misogyny or promote gender based discrimination should not be made hit. And songs that objectify women should not be made our party anthems! Sharing a good article on gender sensitivity or discussing about it with friends and family while having dinner is an easy but effective step.
Thus we believe that men and boys are not naturally violent; patriarchal norms make them insensitive. Therefore, not every man is a part of the problem, but every man can be a part of the solution.
Radhika & Anshul
(Pursuing PG, Banaras Hindu University)
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