I have lived in Delhi all my life, and I can say without qualms that Delhi is slowly inching towards a 'Failed City' for women. The recent gang rape of a girl in a moving bus and her brutal torture is just tip of an ice berg. In the last few years almost all women in Delhi have this cloud of fear hanging over them when they are in public spaces - fear of molestation, sexual harassment or at least intimidation. The discourse post all such incidents (numbering 570 in 2012 alone) has been at the two ends of the spectrum - either harsher punishments like death penalty and torture for the criminals, or the other end, which states that it is the women's fault for breaking unwritten laws of society, therefore restriction on her mobility in the public space is the solution. As I see it, rapes in North India are part of a larger patriarchal discourse that views women as objects to be enjoyed, dominated and kept under control. How can a girl travel in public space, late at night, that too with a male escort? is the general presumption.
Since the discourse is so entrenched, the solution will have to be equally invasive and multi layered.
1. Strengthening the implementation side of law and order - Police patrolling at night, Instant arrests and quick punishments, quick medical examinations and collection of evidence, fast track courts and judges and jury that are trained in the psychological framework needed to dispense such cases
2. Psychological counseling of victims to make them realise that its not their fault and help them fight the social stigma and prejudices.
3. Sensitisation and creation of public spaces where children can interact with each other on issues of Sex education, consequences of ignoring consent, impact on families and ultimately society. Such a program is implemented in schools of several Western countries. It works in removing the feeling of 'otherness', fostering respect and mutual understanding between the two sexes
4. Take the Night Back Campaign - A hallmark of 1960's feminist movement in countries like the USA, Scandinavian countries etc, involved women and their families in organising groups of women citizens, who would collectively go to public areas like public transport, bars, discs, theaters and take quick action against men who were indulging in any crime against women. They were also responsible for interacting with the police, building trust with law enforcers and sensitising communities of men. Maybe something like that could be thought of in Delhi.
An awesome tweet just sums up my view 'Do not teach your daughters not to go out at night, instead teach your sons to respect women.'
perfect blend of words...with a great punch line.
ReplyDeleteVery Practical Solutions and very well articulated...
ReplyDeleteExcellently written and very astute assessment of the issue at hand and the potential solutions. The issue is not only culpability but about achieving transformation of thrt Indian male mindset.
ReplyDeleteYes and that has to begin from the family. But familial structures are so sacrosanct in the Indian ethos that any attack on how children are bought up, is immediately construed as Western influence. Mulayam Singh Yadav's comment 'Par Kati Mahila' refers to women without roots who are daring to challenge traditional stereotypes. How many times have we heard the phrase adjustment and compromise in our lives - do not work after marriage, Kya farak padta hain, give up your most cherished dreams, must have a son etc etc etc. More than the law and order and police, I blame family structures here.
DeleteShraddha you and I are both former Comparative Politics majors, so you'll appreciate where I'm coming from on this. I wonder what the comparative data is like across democratic countries (i.e. those that provide at least a modicum of due process safeguards for criminal defendants) in terms of the number of rape cases reported vs. those actually prosecuted successfully. I'm thinking of countries like India, the USA, Brazil, Mexico. It would be useful to see whether cultural or institutional factors might account for any differences. (Your proposals for change seem to address both). For that matter I wonder if the #s are any different across different Indian states -- does each state write its own criminal laws and organize its own police, like in the USA? Or is every state as bad as Delhi?
ReplyDeleteI was reading today about the woeful reputation of the Indian police (at least in Delhi) when it comes to investigating sex crimes. It begs the question of just why the police have been so unsuccessful in this regard. Is it a lack of female officers to take statements from victims? Poor training of investigators? Lax rape laws that make it difficult to prosecute, even where the police have actually gathered evidence? (For example, until recently in the USA our definition of "consent" in rape laws was so wide that prosecutors were often reluctant to take cases to trial except in very egregious cases, e.g. some states actually required that a woman physically resist being raped -- even if she was held down or feared for her life -- otherwise "consent" could be implied! Luckily this has been changing recently).
Anyway I heard about the government's reaction to the Delhi protests today -- outrageous. One woman summed it up perfectly (paraphrasing): "There are hundreds of rapists running free out there, and the entire Delhi police is standing here to stop people like me?"
Very though provoking questions, unfortunately the answers are not very clear. I am not sure about the other countries, but in most parts of South Asia reported cases themselves constitute a very low percentage. Reasons are all related to mindsets more than law and order issues - fear of stigma, refusal of police to fight a complaint (not always becoz they are corrupt, but mostly because they believe that women must have done something to entice the man, caste system etc). Successful prosecution depends on your location, in a big city - once reported cases are taken to fruition in a number of them. However, if you are in a rural setting, who is the perpetrator assumes an important dimension.
DeleteTo my way of thinking, actually Delhi police is much better than most State polices, because it comes directly under the Central government. Actually North India is much worse in crimes against women and community related crimes than South and East India, so the police success has to be evaluated accordingly.
Regarding the recent rape case, I have just added a post to that. Delhi police is definitely to be blamed, but so are all other institutions. Their response was just what their culture and training compels them to do, what is sad that political mileage is being garnered on both sides - from the side of protesters as well as the police.