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Self styled spiritual leader in India, Asaram Bapu’s atrocious suggestion that the deceased gang rape victim (from India, who later died in a Singapore hospital) was also to blame for her trauma and virtually invited the rape is ludicrous to say the least. “Tali do hath se bajti hai” he said, adding that she should have sought refuge in prayer and begged her offenders to stop. It is indeed shocking to hear leaders such as Asaram Bapu pass comments that put the onus on women for being sexually molested. The comments are highly condemnable and show that we still have a long way to go in changing people’s mindset on women’s rights. The views expressed by the self styled spiritual guru pertaining to women are clearly regressive and do not find favour with the present progressive and vibrant India. One can neither blame an innocent victim nor expect her attackers to set her free if she calls them “brother” and falls at their feet.
How Bizarre growing by Bapu Asaram’s myopic logic, his prescription for self defence for women is for them to carry Rakhis along with pepper sprays was there a guarantee that the accused would have set the girl free if she had pleaded with them? The statement only reveals a mindset that wants women to be pushed into a corner and into a state of perennial victim hood. It is a sad reflection of the age-old patriarchal mindset and a male dominated society that we are a part of in India.
At a time when the whole nation is rallying round and standing by the aggrieved parents of the 23 year old Delhi gang rape victim, it is stupefying that a plethora of divergent voices are actually adding fuel to the fire by attributing the fault to the victim herself rather than her psychopathic tormentors.
These statements that shift the blame to the victim are reminiscent of the ancient social evil of a witch hunt that ascribed the blame on women, especially if the matter was linked to her sexuality. While the victims are treated like criminals by all, including the police, the accused are innocent until proven guilty. Even if the perpetrators are punished after years of trial, society continues to blame the victim. Why did she have to be so independent? Why was she so late out in the night? Why did she have to take the bus? It is only in cases involving sexual crimes that the victim is so readily incriminated and her freedom sought to be circumscribed rather than safeguarded. Women need protection rather than being told that they themselves are partially responsible for violence against them. Rape not only shatters the confidence of the victim but also makes her mentally fragile. Society should be more sensitive to the victim and help her overcome her physical and mental agony rather than turn her into a criminal.
It is a cause for concern that a pragmatic society like ours (in India) seems to behave as if we were light years behind. Women have made a phenomenal progress in all walks of life. They have done a commendable job as academics, doctors, politicians and journalists but they have yet to attain equality with men in real life. She is not given the right place, respect and honour which she deserves in the society.
Indeed, the discrimination starts from home when the preference for the male child is made. This continues and grows further in the form of discrimination in providing facilities to the male and the female child. After this discrimination and crime against women takes an ugly turn and she is subjected to crime in society. The brunt of oppression is largely being born by women even today. When it comes to social privileges, we have different yardsticks for the fairer sex.
In India, more often than not, gender stereotyping works against women. She is expected to ensure her safety and is somehow held responsible for the behaviour of men. Invariably, when a crime is done against a woman, we conduct a social trial and keep harping on her attitudes and morality. But it is foolish to proclaim that the woman herself invites such atrocities. For no one invites assault, rape or murder.
As India moves towards post modern enterprise, where women have an equal role to play, attitudes of so called guardians of our morality ranging from apathetic policeman more sympathetic to perpetrators than victims, to political parties – stay sunk in prehistory. To treat rape as something inevitable under certain circumstances is to ‘justify’ it. It should be made a socially and culturally unacceptable form of behavior by ostracising and shaming the offenders apart from punishing them as per the law.
If we keep ascribing blame on women for crimes done against women themselves, the criminal minded men would be emboldened and crimes would continue to happen. The time has come for women to speak up and claim their rights. They should fight against a society and system that has always victimized them.
It is interesting to observe that all the unsolicited advice on the issue is being directed at women, the victims of criminal assault. No religions or political leader has cared to counsel men on the brutality of rape or the need to respect the dignity of women. The rise in violence against women must compel us to rethink the way we are raising our male progeny. As seen in most cases, it is the feeling of conquest that provokes men to behave like animals. Misogynistic attitude is embedded in us.
The day our society starts seeing women as equal citizens of this country, India will become a much safer place.
When do political and religions leaders raise doubts about the antecedents of rape victims in public, or escape responsibility by blaming them, it emboldens the rapists. The cheap political device of feeding obselete patriarchal beliefs, which always raises fingers at a woman’s character when she becomes a victim of rape, has as such resulted in only one in ten women ever reporting such crimes to the police.
Apart from the role of the police or the lack of it, we also need to question the role of our civil society. ‘Son preference’ and the notion that women are the repository of family honour are deep rooted in the Indian society. As such, rapists come from the society. So the solution to the crime should also come from the society. Parents of a male child should teach him to respect girls. It is time to realise that it is equally important to teach boys moral values. It must be stressed here that the answer is not more legislation that merely scales up the quantum of punishment; only a systemic change coupled with a change in mindset will make a difference. In India today, if 50 percent if its population does not feel safe its growth story will face a tragic end. Therefore, authorities need to get serious about rape, instead of blaming the victim.
