Omkar Dattatray
The growing number of crimes against women across the country point to the need of creating safe, secure and respectful environment for women at homes, at working places ,educational institutions and everywhere in the wide society .All the claims of women empowerment pale into insignificance in the face of increasing number of serious crimes like murder ,rape, sexual abuse, harassment at working places and at all places in and outside the family. Indian’s have been believers of the Vedic dictum that reads as, ”Yatr Siristu Samanta Tatr Ramanty Deva” which more or less translates as ”Where women are respected ,gods travel there .”We have been progeny of those people who regarded women as shakti and feminine power and we are from that culture where women are regarded in high esteem .But alas! all this degenerates into hypocrisy and we are the hypocrites and our heads hang in shame over the barbaric incidents of rape cum murder and other sexual exploitation and abuse of women in the cities ,towns and remote villages .Many cases of rape ,murder ,sexual abuse remain unreported because of the social stigma connected with the rape .It is very unfortunate ,distressing, shameful and shocking that with each passing day serious crimes against women come to fore and tarnish our image of being a cultured and religious country .No place is secure and safe for the women ,girls and even teenager girls are not are subjected to heinous and savage crimes .The recent incident of rape of kindergarten girls reading in nursery class of the barely 3-4 years of age in a school at Badlapur village in Thane district of Maharashtra is hair raising ,shocking and unthinkable that such barbaric crime will be resorted to by the brutes in the shape of men .This unfortunate incident shocked the whole country and people ,students and the relatives of the victims came on the roads and protested against the savage happening of sexual abuse of very small kids in a school and the protestors demanded no less than capital punishment for the accused in the serious crime .One after another incident of rape happened in the country which shook our conscience and shamed the humanity .The rape cum murder of a young post graduate trainee doctor in RG Kar medical college and hospital during the dead of night has brought grief ,gloom, shock and condemnations from not only the doctor fraternity but from the general public as well .There were protests and strike in various hospitals across the country ,all demanding strict and severe punishment to all those accused of the crime. The case of Abaya revived the sad memory of Nirbya gang rape case of a medico in a moving vehicle in national capital Delhi some years ago which saw strongest protest and condemnation then and people condemned the gruesome incident with one voice .In between many such crimes against women have taken place with regularity across the country .Even more shocking is the fact that rapes are occurring across the country and they remain unreported for fear of social stigma .In our Jammu and Kashmir also cases of rape are reported and some cases remain unreported and go unnoticed .Few years back a nomadic girl was raped in Kathua which created shock ,grief and dismay among people and they demanded stern punishment to all accused in the crime against a nomad girls belonging to Gugger community .It follows that women young ,old and even small girls are not safe and secure in the country as a number of rape crimes happen across the country .It will not be an exaggeration to say that India has become the rape capital of the world .In our religion there is high place accorded to women and religious texts tell much about respect and honor of women in family and in outside .In our scriptures women have been accorded a respectable place and scriptures ordain us to revere and respect women .But it is very sad that we are not paying any heed to scriptures and some among us commit crimes against women and girls and their savage actions put all of us to shame .The governments both of the centre ,states and UT’s should take crimes against women very seriously and amend the criminal laws and incorporate death sentence to the rapists so that a sense of fear is instilled among the people indulging in serious crimes against women.PM Modi in his independence address has outlined seriousness of the crimes against women and has said that there is absence of the fear of law and law enforcing agencies ,with the result the rapes take place and in many cases the rapists go scot free because of the no evidence against them .There is no place for crimes such as rape, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation against the women in a spiritual country like India which is the progeny of Ram, Krishan ,Buddha ,Mahavir and Gandhi .But the reality is that rapes and sexual exploitation are taking place across the country with impunity and shames our conscience .Rapes ,sexual exploitation and harassment against women are the black stains on the face of our country and there is urgent need to put a curb on such crimes against women .Safety ,security and respectability of women should become a national priority and such crimes against women need to be end .Women’s safety and security should find mention in election manifestoes because it is a serious issue and requires top most attention of the government, civil society and public at large .Whole society should rise against crimes against women and pressurize the central ,state and UT governments to control sexual abuse while in work and also at the places of duty .The gravity and seriousness of the rape cum murder is such that even president Drapudi Murmu has said that she is shocked and dismayed on happening of such crimes. All of us that is the government ,civil society members, NCC Cadets ,NSS Volunteers and people at large should rise to the occasion and support the government to implement criminal laws in the interest of women .Rape is a serious crime and it should be curbed .It is the fact that in our country which is the great advocate,of violations against women should try to stop crimes against women .There is urgent need to frame & outdo criminal laws so that the centre government, the federating units/ states show door to crimes against women and all of these need to work in unison so that crimes against women do not raise their ugly head again and again. May god bestow power sadhad Buddi on men to obey the constitution and accommodates fairer sex and not to indulge in rape and other crimes .There is need to create a safe and secure environment for women so that they feel secure and safe .Otherwise crimes against women will continue and tarnish our image in the comity of the world.
There is also a pressing need to change the mindset of the people so that they will desist from falling prey to the lust for sex and more so for savageness so that there is check on the crimes against women and this important segment of our society will feel secure and safe and insecurity among women will end to a vast extent and it will be the real empowerment of women and for this whole society should work to see such a safe ,secure and dignified environment where women will be secure and feel no insecurity .This will be the real triumph of femininity and women hood and the image of the country will get an upward trend and security and safety of women should get top attention of the government and society.
(The author is a columnist, social and KP activist)
