According to the National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB), India recorded 88 rape cases every day in 2019. NCRB report highlights that rape vulnerability of a girl or woman has increased up to 44% in the last 10 years.
Reasons behind increasing rape cases:
1) Patriarchal mindset: Human
beings are social animals; it is society that shapes their attitudes, thinking
and beliefs. Rape exists because of patriarchal misogynistic culture that
overlooks it, whether implicitly or explicitly. Patriarchy has conditioned men
to believe in their superiority. The males are always considered as more
powerful than women, of which they take advantage.
2) Objectification of women by
entertainment industries is another reason why males take them for
granted. The way women are portrayed in film songs, the words used to
describe them are really very disgusting.
3) Delayed punishment: Awarding
death penalty is subject to the rarest of rare cases. Death penalty will be
pronounced if the crime has been committed in an extremely cruel and dreadful
manner. The compulsory death penalty is against the constitutional rights of
equality, right to live and personal liberty guaranteed under articles 14 and
21. In case death penalty is granted execution takes ages.
4) Forbidden things are fascinating: In our
society people hesitate to discuss about sex or menstruation openly and hide
such things from their grownup sons and daughters. The typical conservative
mindset of parents and family members restrict their children to interact with
the opposite sex.
5) Lack of awareness: Our
society, families, schools and institutions fail to bring awareness among
children, youths regarding sex, sex related crimes. No proper counseling is
provided to grownup boys and girls. The girls cannot share their problems with
anyone even if they are bullied, harassed.
6) Lack of Infrastructure: Due to
lack of toilet facility women have to go outside for defecation and going out
in the evening, or in the night hours is not safe for them. There are many
roads, streets, lanes without streetlights, or streetlights are not working
which causes darkness. Dark and lonely stretches are best places for any kind
of crime, or rape.
In spite of all problems, measures should
be taken to ensure safety and security for women at any cost.
A complete women safety mechanism is
required: Make the city women safe. Here what I mean to say
is why women can’t go outside in late hours? Rather stop male movement, if it
can’t be done then deploy police in every nook and corner, crowded and lonely
places, and 4 to 5 women cops must be there in each group. Restaurants,
petrol pumps, theatres other 24 hours operated business hubs must appoint more
number of women employees. Hostels must set campus entry deadlines both for
boys and girls, if they don’t obey the rule just suspend them and inform their
parents, guardians.
Police reform/ smart policing: A new
division in police should be formed to handle rape cases in which more women
cops should be there. Two to three toll free numbers must be given, WhatsApp
group, Facebook page, email facility must be in use for 24 hours. The police
personnel must monitor the crime activities, must prepare an area wise database
of hooligans, criminals. A 24 hours helpline and booths must be opened in all
parts of the city. There should be mandatory rules both for private and public
transports to employ women safety forces (having more number of women staff).
GPS tracking systems must be used in auto rickshaws, cabs, buses. Safety
watches with GPS tracker, alarm system must be provided to girls, one and
unique women safety government app must be developed and used.
Installation and maintenance of
streetlights must be done. Building
toilets can stop women going for open defecation and that
will stop rape cases. One-stop destinations
for providing legal, medical and police aid to victims will be very welcoming.
Night drop vans, cabs, auto rickshaws must
be introduced and run having more women staff which can pick up and drop women
in late hours even.
National level Network of volunteers: Every
Panchayat, village, block, and city, and district, state must be connected by a
large network of volunteers; they should be available all the time for
safeguarding women. It should work 24 hours from Delhi to Mumbai to Kolkata to
a village in Jharkhand, or Odisha.
Psycho-Social counseling sessions
must be conducted in schools and colleges to take feedback from girls, parents
at home must take feedback to know if anything wrong happens with their girls.
Societal Change: In our
society people should openly discuss about sex and sex related crimes, about
menstruation. Parents must treat their male and female children equally and
should not allow them to remain aloof, isolated.
Sex education must
be imparted to students, youths must be sensitized on sex, and sex related
crimes about rape too.
Self-defense training
in school and colleges must be mandatory.
Both print and electronic media must
raise the issues, can sensitize people and create pressure on decision making
bodies.
Amendment of acts is the
need of the hour to ensure that the rapists get the maximum to maximum
punishment. Our law should be strict about sexual offences, about rape and it
will definitely create havoc among the rapists. Swift and harsh, stringent
punishment will reduce the number of rape cases in our country.
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