When religion of the rape victim becomes more important than her pain, there is a serious problem

Two rape cases created a big splash on India news channels and on social media. One was the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl, and another was the rape of a 17-year-old girl by a lawmaker from the ruling party of that state. Both cases are equally horrible and condemnable. But, surprisingly on social media, there was extensive discussion about the religion of one of the victims and perpetrators of the crime. Some people accused people who were protesting about this case of their selective outrage. I wonder how these people come up with such twisted logic. There was huge outrage in India after the Nirbhaya rape case. At that time no one was accused of selective outrage. No one said that there are so many rapes happening in the country so why are you just protesting about this one case. But it seems just because in one of these cases rapists and the victim are from different religions this question about the religious identity of the victim and accused suddenly became relevant.

I wonder in which direction society is moving where the religion of a rape victim becomes more important than the crime of rape? In which direction society is moving where lawyers and lawmakers participate in a protest march in favor of accused rapists? There is no doubt that every accused of any crime must get a fair and transparent trial, the law should treat everyone equally. Every accused deserves a fair legal representation for their defense. But this is not even an issue here, some people are not only questioning the motives of people who feel outraged by such incidents but they are also trying hard to justify this heinous act, and this should worry any society. What do you call a society where outrage over heinous crimes depends on from which religion the victim or accused comes? Reactions on social media and some debates on news channels should stir the consciousness of every Indian no matter which religion they belong to or which political party they support. 

I hope polarization created due to political propaganda doesn't create such an unbridgeable gap between different sections of society that they can't even come together even to protest against overtly criminal acts. When all your discussions end up getting connected with the religion, then there is a problem. When we look for a person's caste, nationality, race, or religion before showing our outrage at a crime, then there is a problem. We all are humans first, and then political supporters or religious followers. If we forget our basic human qualities of empathy and compassion towards our fellow human beings and look at everything through the prism of politics or religion then we must evaluate what type of people are we becoming? I think we all need to question ourselves about this and look for the answers within. Maybe our consciousness might help us more than these social media posts, news channel debates, or statements from some senseless politicians. I request everyone reacting to this issue to see if they are reacting like a compassionate human, a responsible citizen, a blind political supporter, or a blind religious follower. In the end, the choice is always ours, and I hope humanity is still the most attractive choice for most of us.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this issue.

Aruna died once again, this time it is official

After 42 years of living in a state of coma in ward number four of KEM Hospital in Mumbai Aruna Shanbaug officially died on May 18th, 2015. People die every day so why this particular death is so important and mentioned specifically by the media in India. First, she was a rape survivor, she was brutally raped by a ward boy on 27th November 1973, during this brutal sexual assault the rapist used a dog chain to choke her which resulted in cutting off of oxygen supply to her brain. This brutal assault left Aruna in a coma from which she never recovered till her death. She was not declared dead just because her hospital and nursing staff stepped up and took the responsibility of her total care, they did this job with complete devotion for 42 long years. Even Supreme Court of India termed this care and commitment as "iconic" in their judgement where they rejected the plea to withdraw her life support. Only the total commitment and sincere dedication of KEM management and staff towards Aruna kept her body alive. Technically she was alive but was in a vegetative state where a person's body is incapable of giving any response. Actually, that rapist killed that active and full-of-life nurse on that very fateful night, he should have been tried for a charge of murder not just an attempt of murder. Technically or according to the law the rapist didn't kill Aruna on that day but in reality, he took away all life from her body and just left a body devoid of any life and emotions. There was practically a murder. I can't even imagine what pain or suffering Aruna must have gone through during and after that incident, no one can imagine or understand her suffering as she didn't get a chance to express her feelings either in words or with emotions.

Law couldn't punish that perpetrator for murder because Aruna's heart was still pumping blood, her lungs were still breathing the air but most part of her brain was dead. The worst part is that they didn't punish him for rape also as it was not vaginal rape, such a shameful lapse in judging this case. She existed as a body but not as a person because her personality was brutally murdered and the law failed to acknowledge that. I was not even born when this crime happened. I salute the commitment and dedication of all the staff of KEM Hospital who took care of her like their own family member for 42 long years. Even family members find it difficult to take care of people in such a state for so long. Finally, her body gave up, and her long and painful battle with life ended on Monday. She officially died on May 18th but she was dead as a person 42 years back, on that very fateful night when her brain was irreversibly damaged. There should be severe punishment in law for anyone who inflicts such suffering on any person. Aruna's case is an example for any justice system to consider all possibilities where sexual and physical assault are involved. Killing a person is not the only worst thing an abuser can do, leaving that person in a state where they don't even know they are alive is also a very serious crime and such crimes should be dealt with that seriousness. Acid attacks or serious mental injuries are a few examples of this type of crime. When I first time read the book about Aruna's story, it shook me to the core, for many days I was very disturbed and was thinking about her pain and trauma. No amount of sympathy and anger was enough to do any justice to Aruna, finally, death only made her free of all this pain and suffering. I hope we don't hear about such tragedies any more. Aruna, you were a brave person, you gave us so much to think and debate about, I hope you forgive everyone who couldn't help you, goodbye.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aruna_Shanbaug_case

Marital rape is also a RAPE - these victims also need justice

While listening to a discussion on NDTV about the criminalization of marital rape, I was appalled to listen to the stories of two women who had suffered tremendous physical and mental torture at the hands of their so-called husbands. The worst part is that sexual abuse within marriage is not a criminal offense. Only the cruelty involved in it can be challenged in court. So, nonconsensual marital sex (marital rape) cannot be challenged, but if there is some physical abuse or torture then it can be challenged in court. So, rapes happening in the bedrooms of married couples are not considered a criminal offense, rather, it is considered an internal matter between husband and wife, they need to sort it out among themselves together or with the help of someone else but not the court. This might sound stupid, ironical, backward, and highly patriarchal but this is what it is, and many men and women have to deal with this legal sexual abuse and exploitation. So, if a husband forces his wife to have sex with him against her will (or vice versa) it is not considered rape, because society as well as the current law thinks that in a sacred marriage, the husband, as a man, has the right to demand sexual services from his wife, and she must provide it willingly or unwillingly. Marriage is considered sacred or holy in many societies and India is also one of them, so, everything associated with it also becomes sacred and holy, even rape, therefore, marital rape is not a criminal offense as it is sacred. What an amazing logic our lawmakers have to justify this nonsense. I think we should be happy that at least the cruelty is criminalized. These abusive partners can be booked at least for physical abuse even though conveniently sexual abuse is excluded. Surprisingly this is all happening even after the presence of staggering data to prove that marital rapes are very common. The strange thing is that no one is even denying that they don't happen, but we just can't criminalize it because it is part of the sacred marriage system.

Many people also argue that if we criminalize marital rape then that law can be misused like anti-dowry law. This objection is reasonable, as there are many cases where anti-dowry law has been misused to trouble and torture families for a variety of reasons. However, this is true with any other law, almost every law is being misused. Even well-intended laws like the Protection of civil rights act, defamation act, and Harijan Act are also misused by many people for selfish purposes. Also, many policies like reservation are misused by many people, but this doesn't mean that we should not have any laws or policies to tackle problems like dowry, social justice, or rape. The data also shows that these laws and policies also benefited many people who would not have gotten justice in the absence of such laws. So, there is no doubt that these laws had a positive effect on our societies, but at the same time, more work is needed to stop their misuse. Getting rid of them completely is not an option. Marriage does not mean that a person has the right to exploit their partner sexually, there should be freedom to say yes and no like we have in any other relationship. Marriage is a human-made institution, there is nothing sacred or holy in it. It is a legal bond between two people that can be terminated by law. Forceful sexual act against any person's consent is a rape no matter if it is within or outside the realm of marriage. 

Abuse, injustice, or suppression in the name of culture, tradition, or religion is not new in our society. Our civilization has witnessed various autocracies committed under these names for ages and the same thing is happening even today. This is why statements like "marriage is sacred in India, so marital rape does not apply in India" are being made. They show the patriarchal mindset of society, the mindset that assumes that demanding sex within marriage is the right of a man, and if he doesn't get it then he has the right to forcefully get it. 

I am glad to see that these things are at least being discussed in Indian society. Marriage is not a license for nonconsensual sex. Sex is indeed an important part of married life but rape is not part of it. If partners are not happy with their sexual life then they should go for counseling or get separated if they can not match each other's expectations. As women will get more empowered in society they are bound to demand fair treatment from the law and marital rape will be criminalized today or tomorrow. This lame justification of marriages being made in heaven or being sacred won't stand its ground for long, whatever is criminal is criminal no matter who does it, rape is rape whether in a bedroom of a married couple or on the bus it doesn't matter. 

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:
1. Marriage Sacred in India, So 'Marital Rape' Does Not Apply: Government
2. Marital Rape: Eyes Wide Shut?

Nagaland mob lynching: an unacceptable act of public violence

A very disturbing event happened a few days back in Nagaland. An angry mob of around 7 or 8 thousand people attacked Dimapur Central Jail, they dragged a rape accused out of jail, paraded that person naked, and then beat him to death. Many people participated and witnessed this mob lynching incident. Many were also seen recording this event or taking photos of the dead person to post on social media. This mob didn't stop after killing the accused, they displayed his body at the local clock tower supposedly to teach a lesson to all people who commit such type of crimes. Many people shared this incident with gruesome photos to justify the punishment offered to the accused and demanded that only this type of punishment deter people from committing such crimes. I have seen many people advocating punishments like public hanging or public torture till death as ways of teaching a lesson to criminals, they all feel that such punishments will serve as deterrents and stop such crimes. 

Frustrated and misguided people taking the law into their own hands is always a dangerous sign for any society. A lawless society is a dangerous place to live and there are so many reasons why any society might choose to use such desperate means to deliver what they think is speedy justice. In India, the ridiculously lengthy and slow process of delivering justice in each and every case is one of the major reasons why people don't have faith in the police and judiciary. I guess everyone will agree that heinous crimes like rape and murder need speedy trials and strict punishments so that they can create fear in the minds of perpetrators of such crimes. The slow and tedious process of justice with many loopholes that allow criminals to escape the law or delay the process indefinitely puts victims in a very disadvantageous position. Victims of rape especially suffer a long and agonizing journey to get justice from such a severely impaired judiciary of India and one must include investigating agencies also in this. We all know that justice delayed means justice denied and when it becomes a chronic problem people start losing their faith in the system. The result is that people take the law into their own hands and there is a jungle raj. Unfortunately, none of the state or national governments tried to do anything substantial to correct this problem. Judicial or police reforms are not even a topic of discussion during any state or national elections. Sexual violence is such a serious issue but it hardly gets the attention it deserves in any political or social forum in India. Everyone knows that rapes happen very frequently and many rapists escape the law using muscle, power, money, or influence. This problem is not going to disappear on its own, there is no point in pushing the issue under the carpet. It is also wrong to assume that this is only a women's issue. Sexual violence is as much a men's issue as it is women's as both of them are involved either as victims or perpetrators. 

Any incident like this is a result of a serious failure of government machinery at various levels. I don't think that any such violent act can be justified by using any logic or reasoning, it is totally unacceptable behavior. Public lynching of any accused or convict is not a way to deliver justice in any civilized society. There is a system to deliver justice and execute punishments. I hope this acts as an eye-opener for all concerned agencies dealing with law and order in India. They need to create a sense of trust in people's minds that justice and investigating machinery are fair and efficient. They need to provide proof by their actions that these systems are working for people to solve their issues and problems not to exploit their helplessness. If victims of any crime get all the required support from all these departments they won't be at the mercy of mobs to protest and demand justice for them. Why do these departments only get active after huge protests or nationwide outrage after any rape or murder? Why do some case gets really shoddy handling which results in the acquittal of all accused just because they belong to some powerful or influential families? Such incidents create a serious dent in the credibility of all these departments and create fertile ground for violent and desperate reactions from people. Let's hope that this incident doesn't inspire people from other places to use similar methods to deliver their own justice, if this happens it will be a catastrophic situation at every level and I hope the concerned authorities are aware of it. This act of public lynching is unacceptable and so is the inability of the justice system to deliver timely resolution to heinous crimes like rape and murder.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:
1. Mob drags alleged rapist out of jail in Nagaland, thrashes him to death

"India's Daughter" is not an insult to India but an eye opener

I managed to watch BBC's documentary film 'India's Daughter' as it might be soon withdrawn from YouTube as the Indian government has raised objections over this film and wants to ban its telecast all over the world. They are trying their best to pull this film from the internet so that no one can watch it because they think it is a conspiracy by some foreigners to defame India all over the world. Somehow the current central government of India thinks that this documentary shows India and Indians in a bad light, and they drew these conclusions without even watching the documentary. Actually, this documentary doesn't reveal anything which is not already known to many people around the world. Also, it would be wrong to assume that this documentary is only representative of the mindset which only prevails in Indian society, some things might be India specific but in general it should be seen as a harsh reality of gender bias prevalent in most parts of the world. This bias might manifest in different ways, and the methods and techniques might differ but I don't think that anyone can deny that gender bias still exists in many parts of the world and is a serious social issue even today. 

It seems that many ministers from the current central government of India are unhappy after watching only some parts of this documentary. They are especially upset to know that there is an interview with convicted rapist where he expresses his views about rape and is seen blaming the victims for whatever happens to them. No doubt that these things are disgusting to watch but the ugly truth is that there are many who think like this, I have heard similar statements made by many people I know, and each time I feel disgusted but the bitter reality is that even today some people think like this. Views similar to that rapist are echoed by some politicians of India and also in other parts of the world. Gender bias is a stark reality. The documentary tries to show a mirror to our society but it seems when some people don't like what they see in the mirror they want to break the mirror rather than try to work on changing the image. This is an escapist mindset that likes to live in continuous denial mode by either denying the reality or shooting the messenger when a bitter truth is revealed. Such people like to push inconvinient or sensitive issues under the carpet, they want to ignore it purposely and expect that people may forget or get used to the problem. Unless we courageously admit that the problem exists and we all are responsible for it we are not going to move an inch in the direction of solving it. One can have differences of opinion about the contents of the documentary, and one can question why rapist interview is there. One can definitely ask such questions or even disagree with the message that this film wants to propagate, but it is necessary to face the bitter truth that this documentary conveys.

As far as banning the documentary is concerned it is another pathetic decision to ban something without even watching it or having any reasonable discussion over it. According to me, only people who even remotely think like the rapist in the documentary will demand to ban it. Only people who sympathize with that rapist's mindset will feel threatened that they will get exposed and that's why demand a ban on it. Only people who don't want to expose filthy mindset of some people about women would like to ban it. Only those who want to live in denial mode as if these things don't happen around us will worry more about tourism in India rather than worrying about sexual assault incidents which happen on a daily basis. There is nothing anti-India in this documentary, actually, the documentary is not at all about India it is about the issue of sexual harassment and the attitude of some men towards women in our society. People are free to like or dislike it, it is their choice. Rape or sexual harassment is a global problem, if any incident in India or any protest in India is helping to highlight this issue or helping to create awareness about this problem why would anyone have an objection to that? Anyone who cares about this issue should watch this film. If anyhow you find that you sympathize with any of the thoughts expressed by some misogynist men in this documentary, then it's time to ban those thoughts from your mind not this documentary.

 Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUvlwmIfyx0

Bhanwari Devi - a national icon and great inspiration

Two years ago on 16th December, a horrific incident of rape and murder happened in India's capital New Delhi. The brutality of the crime shook the entire nation, people were angry and frustrated about the regular occurrence of such crimes and the delay in delivering justice. This anger and nationwide protests forced the administration to deliver the judgment in a timely fashion in this particular case, but still, many victims are still waiting for justice for the crime that changed their lives. After going through the trauma of sexual abuse these victims have to relive that horror every time they go to court and come back without any solace. Our society and this system have to step up to end this trauma of these people. 

This post is not about that incident but about a brave woman Bhanwari Devi who not only survived one such assault but also fought against the culprits, against the system that failed to deliver justice to her. She is still bravely fighting her battle and waiting for justice to be delivered. Nandita Das's movie Bawander is based on the story of her life, it is worth a watch if anyone wants to know her story. She faced many hurdles during her fight for justice, not only the criminals who committed this act were from the upper caste but they were also politically very powerful which helped them to manipulate the police as well as the judiciary. But this brave lady didn't lose her courage and hope, she didn't even leave the village no matter how much they taunted her and tortured her family with social boycotts. Her argument was, if she didn't do any wrong why should she be the one to suffer. It was not she who did anything shameful so why she should leave the village, why she should feel guilty? All who know how the caste system in villages works and the various roles it plays in politics can understand how much courage and conviction are required to fight against these things. In many villages, women are not even allowed to step outside the home or village unless it is for some work or medical treatment, so one can imagine how much resistance Bhanwari Devi must have faced to even register a case against the culprits who raped her. People like her don't get much national attention or recognition as their stories carry very limited use for media and politicians. No political party is interested in taking up such issues as caste dynamics is an integral part of the politics for all parties. They don't look at criminals just as criminals but their religion or caste also becomes very important as it can mess up their political equations depending on which religion or caste the victim belongs and which religion or caste the perpetrator belongs. So, each political party bases its reactions based on its political calculations related to caste and religion. This is disgusting but it happens all the time and so far no political party tried to break away from this pattern. Unfortunately, the victims of such heinous crimes have to face the brunt of all this mess. First, they suffer at the hands of criminals who commit the crime, and then at the hands of the system which fails to deliver justice to them.

I don't know how long Bhanwari Devi and people like her have to wait to get justice from this system. I am glad to see that she still has faith in this system and waiting patiently for it to deliver what it promises to every Indian (speedy and fair justice). She is a great example of courage and determination. She showed that if you are not at fault no need to feel any guilt or shame or run away avoid taunts or be scared of social torture. But not everyone who goes through this has courage and patience like her, for them, the system needs to step up. The story of her fight is a great inspiration for all of us. Bhanwari Devi is definitely a national icon, our politicians and justice systems need to learn something from her.  

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:

1. 'I have to hide my face in public, the man who raped me roams free'

2. http://selfrealization-vinay.blogspot.com/2012/12/yes-we-all-are-guilty.html

Just an apology is not enough Mr. Tapas Pal

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) member of parliament (MP) Mr. Tapas Pal was in the news for all the wrong reasons. During one of his speeches, he threatened to kill CPM (opposition party in West Bengal) workers and get their women raped by his boys. The statement as such is derogatory and offensive, very insulting to women, and a threat of violence. He is inciting people to engage in violent activities like murder and rape, so, this is not about his freedom of expression right as this right doesn't include incitement of violence. No surprise that there was a huge uproar in the media against his statement. This was not the first time he made such a statement, it seems in the past also he said something similar which went unnoticed by the media. This guy is one of the lawmakers of our country, such people sit in our parliament and decide what is good for the people of our country. If people with such regressive and criminal mindsets are sitting in our parliament then one can imagine what can be the situation of law and order on the ground.

Here also the usual circus happened. First, there was uproar in public against his statement, second, media debates happened to sensationalize the issue, and finally, Tapas offered an unconditional apology and nothing happened beyond that. He was not sacked, and so far parliament hasn't taken any action against such remarks by one of its members. I am sure Mr. Tapas will continue as Trinamool's MP and will complete his term without facing any political consequences for his actions. This storm will also die and everyone will continue as if nothing happened. All other political parties who are up in arms currently also have many skeletons in their own closets, they all need to take some action against someone but nothing that sort will happen. It seems some MP or minister or leader from every party is busy making some regressive statements to justify and encourage rape culture. A recent Goa minister's statement about banning bikinis on Goa beaches, or stopping girls from going to pub because he thinks it's against Indian culture is another example of putting blame on the victim in the cases of sexual assault. This trend is disturbing and so far no political party has taken any serious action against any person who made such statements. This clearly shows their casual attitude towards this issue. They all speak all the time about women's safety and empowerment, and they all make very tall promises about this in their manifestos but in reality, their actions don't match their words.

The statements made by all these people are bad enough but the reaction of the political parties to which they belong or the institutions which they represent (like parliament or assembly) is even worse. We all know the hypocritical behavior of all these political parties but it seems even the hands of powerful institutions like parliament and judiciary are also tied in these matters as they fail to take any disciplinary action against these people. These people shamelessly make such statements and then offer an apology, that too only in some cases apology is offered, most of the time they claim they were quoted out of context. They all feel that such excuses are enough to bury the issue and move on. When people see politicians making such statements and getting away with it, it conveys a wrong message. Will it help to stop rape culture? Definitely NO. We need to be more sensitive against any such remarks, they should not be encouraged. There is no strong deterrent now that can stop powerful people from doing these things. They all know that nothing will happen to them except some bad publicity. Attempt to incite violence must have some consequence. I hope our judiciary and parliament don't fail us again this time. They need to set some precedence. Just an apology is not enough, strong action against such behavior is required if we expect them to stop. If we fail then we will see another statement like this in the media after a few days or months, the name and the political party may change but the statements won't, they will keep on coming and we will keep on wondering why criminalization or politics doesn't stop and why so many rapes keep on happening?

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Mr. Babulal Gaur, RAPE IS ALWAYS WRONG, no exceptions

Madhya Pradesh (MP) minister Mr. Babulal Gaur said that rape is a social crime and it is sometimes right and sometimes wrong. Whereas it is not surprising to hear such stupid statements from politicians, it is definitely surprising to see how frequently such statements are made. It's not that long ago when some politicians from the Samajwadi party made some derogatory remarks displaying their ignorance and male chauvinistic attitude. One can not avoid feeling dismayed after hearing such statements that too from elected lawmakers, displaying the deep male chauvinistic attitude prevalent in our society.

These types of disgusting statements make us wonder whether we are really living in the 21st century or not? These statements are largely criticized at least in social media which is somewhat comforting and a sign of encouragement. But in India, no politician has ever lost his ministership or resigned accepting their mistake after making such derogatory remarks. Politicians always try to offer some type of explanation to justify such statements and their respective governments or parties seem to be perfectly fine with their lame justifications. This shows the trivial attitude of India's political class towards such issues, they don't consider the issue of sexual violence serious enough to sack a minister or at least warn or reprimand them. Incidents of rape and sexual violence happen all over India, it is not a problem of some particular state as some people might think. This problem is rooted in male dominant nature of society and patriarchal culture where women are largely viewed as objects, not as persons. Women are treated with respect and dignity as long as they behave like women, and the definition of "behave like a woman" changes from region to region. They are supposed to remain within their limits. The moment they cross the imposed limit they are targeted, victimized, and abused in whatever way these bigots feel appropriate. Rape and murder are the result of this misogynist mindset. To stop or at least minimize such crimes any such misogynist statements must be condemned with the strongest possible words and perpetrators should be dealt with sternly, both legally and politically. Any sympathetic statement especially from people who are in government or hold any political position sends a wrong message. It derails all efforts by many organizations and individuals to create awareness about such crimes. As such it is not easy to curb these types of crimes in any patriarchal society where women are considered second-class citizens. This is why such statements are dangerous, they make the struggle of victims and their families more difficult. This is the reason I don't take any such statement lightly, these are not harmless or ignorant statements but are very detrimental statements. They are like verbal sexual assaults and should be condemned no matter who does it. The collective silence of the entire political class and their selective reactions are very worrisome. Most political parties are trying to seek some political gains from such incidents, they only criticize when it suits them, this is disgusting and sickening.

People like Mr. Babulal Gaur need to be reminded that rape is wrong, there are no exceptions. Rape is sexual violence, it is an attempt not only to injure a person physically but also psychologically. Age, clothing, gender, and desire to have sex, don't matter, rape is a crime and it is always wrong, period. Any sane person won't try to justify rape. Any such attempt should be challenged and defeated. All people like Mr. Gaur need to learn this lesson. This is important and we all need to play our part in it, if we don't fight this battle who else will? So, let's send this message loud and clear, rape is always wrong, with no exceptions, it's a heinous crime.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:

1. Rape is sometimes right, sometimes wrong: Madhya Pradesh minister Babulal Gaur

Why is this collective silence?

Very disturbing news of gang rape and murder of two sisters after almost one and half years of Damini incident has made me realize that nothing has changed so far. I wrote a post after Damini's case (Nirbhaya, these are not her real names to protect her identity). Now, I am writing another post after this incident. I am as disturbed as I was after reading the news about the brutal rape and murder of Nirbhaya. Yes, the first incident was in Delhi this is in some small village of UP, the chief ministers of both states are different, and they belong to different political parties; in the center also that time there was the government of UPA now it is NDA but apart from that nothing has changed. Then also a few fanatic men brutally raped and killed a girl this time two innocent girls were brutally raped and killed. WHY? What was their mistake? Why does our administration consistently fail to protect its citizens and act swiftly when any such crime happens? There was a huge uproar and widespread protests to support Nirbhaya and her fight for justice, why there is collective silence about this case?

Now as this news is reported in the media, few arrests will be made, few policemen will be suspended for lack of swift action, the blame game will start, the center govt will blame the state govt, the state will blame the police, and political parties will criticize each other to take political mileage from this heinous incident. A usual circus will be performed. This circus will go on for a few days like a ritual which they do after every such incident. Then people, government, and political parties will forget about this incident as if it never happened. Administration and government will become complacent until the next incident when this circus will happen once again. During Nirbhaya's case, there was widespread protest all over the country, and this forced the administration to take some steps not only to solve that case but also to reduce the suffering and humiliation of rape victims. Amir Khan's TV show Satyamev Jayate telecasted one episode related to this issue which offered many good suggestions to deal with this issue. How many of those suggestions were implemented or even seriously discussed? What is the reason for this collective silence? Is the frequent occurrence of such incidents numbed our sensitivities so much that now any such news doesn't surprise or shock us anymore? Have we become immune to such incidents? Many questions like this come to my mind when I see the insensitivity of current and past administrations toward such incidents. 

I can understand that there is a new government at the center and for the past few days there was celebration time for BJP and its allies for their impressive victory in general elections. Because of all this media has many more things to report. They are trying to report each and every step the new government is taking, which is good, people should be informed about the actions and plans of their government but was this news not important enough? Doesn't such incidents indicate the ugly reality of our society that needs urgent attention? How many more boys and girls need to die like this until this issue becomes as important as Article 370 or reservations or educational qualification of some minister? I don't know what will it take to make sexual violence a major national issue? Does the place of incident matter in such cases? Whether it's Delhi or Badaun the seriousness and cruelty of crime are the same, so they should get the same response and same treatment from administration and people. 

Incidents like this are not only about rape or murder, they are about caste, the attitude of the administration towards their citizens, efficiency, and accountability of the administration, and society's views towards such crimes. These issues involve many such aspects and at each level, we have some serious problems, that is the reason these incidents happen so frequently. The major problem is society's attitude towards women. Men who feel they are superior to women as well as women who think they are inferior to men need to realize basic faults in their thinking, they both need to understand the concept of gender equality. I hope talk of equality and women empowerment doesn't only remain on paper or in discussion forums, political parties and ruling governments show will and courage to implement policies that can make this happen in reality. We must raise our voices from whatever forum we can, blogs, FB, Twitter, protests, or whatever. Make the government realize that we are serious about such crimes and need very swift and appropriate action from the government. Criminals need to get punishment at least to show that no one can get away from crimes like these. Legal action will be the first step in this direction and then we also need many social and political reforms to remove gender bias which still exists in our society. I hope that I don't have to write another post on any such incident again. It's not easy to read about these things. Silence is not an option. Let's not wait for another Nirbhaya to die or another Badaun to happen, let's raise our voices against any such incident no matter where it happens and who is the victim.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:

1. Sisters Killed After Alleged Gang-Rape In UP

2. Outrage over gang rape, murder of cousins in U.P. village

3. Yes, We all are guilty..

This is blatant and shameless display of male chauvinism

It seems there is some sort of competition among some Indian political leaders about making more derogatory comments about sexual violence against women. This blatant display of male chauvinism is sickening, unfortunately, this is not a new or recent phenomenon. Apart from Samajwadi Party leaders like Mr. Mulayam Singh, who said that young boys do these types of mistakes (rapes) in youth rage and should not be punished very harshly for this, or Mr. Abu Azmi, who said that women who have sex outside marriage should be punished, there are many whose outrageous statements are ignored for the lack of media coverage. There are some who suggest that Mr. Modi's wife must be happy that finally he accepted her publicly. These are not some isolated incidents, there are many people across the party lines who share similar views. Please remember that these leaders are not some new entrants in politics they are experienced and seasoned politicians who very well know the meaning of these statements and also know the political benefits associated with them. Such statements not only reflect the male chauvinist nature of society but also show the misogynist society that tolerates such behavior.  

Rape is a heinous crime, it hurts the victim not only physically but also emotionally, and it leaves a permanent scar on their minds, not taking this crime seriously is another crime. Only insane or insensitive people can trivialize it. Offenders who commit rape must be given harsh punishment by law, at the same time awareness should be spread among youths which can help to minimize these incidents. Strong and effective law along with aggressive awareness campaigns is the only way to tackle these types of problems. These politicians are not helping this cause by making these types of statements. Politicians can go to any extent to gain political benefit, they can justify riots, rapes, or any other heinous crimes, there are ample examples of these incidents. 

What prompts these people to make these types of statements? Why do people allow such politicians to win the elections even after making such misogynistic statements? The reason has to be that there is a large section of society that still agrees with these statements. They still believe in male superiority and support male chauvinism. These people don't come from some backward areas or belong to an uneducated class but there are highly educated or literate folks also who believe in all this. These are people who cite examples from mythology or from history to justify Mr. Modi's action of leaving his home which resulted in the abandonment of his wife. No matter for what purpose Mr. Modi left his house and what he achieved I wonder how people can justify his action of abandoning his wife, not bothering about her for so many years, and still, not providing any legal rights as a wife. I also feel dismayed over these people now telling that woman that she should feel honored and lucky that a person of Modi's stature finally accepted officially her as his wife. It is true that whatever happens between husband and wife is their personal matter but when anyone is running for public office then their past and present actions are scrutinized by the media and public, this is a common practice all over the world. Any such act by a prominent public figure can send a wrong signal to people. The same people who get influenced by such actions then try to justify rape as some trivial mistake committed in youth rage. These people might even expect the victim to pardon the offender if for whatever reason the rapist offers to marry the victim after a brutal rape and might even expect her to feel lucky that the rapist is doing this huge favor to her. 

This type of mindset is not only disgusting but also very dangerous, it not only tries to trivialize the crime but also encourages it. If people cannot stop these incidents at least they can try not to encourage them. Yes, sometimes some of these laws are misused for some selfish gains, this should not be encouraged and all such cases should be dealt with equal seriousness and sincerity. Sometimes people misuse certain laws but that does not diminish the need to have strict laws, we just need a more efficient, sensitive, and transparent system to deal with such cases so that these laws are effectively implemented. Women's issues are important in any society but they are more important in societies where male chauvinism is so predominant. If people like us don't oppose such actions then these people won't stop making such statements and demeaning women. Women need all the support and help to deal with these problems. No doubt that women need to empower themselves to fight this battle on their own but the support from all sections of society is equally important and crucial. We all can help to deal with these types of problems at least by strongly raising our objection to such statements and not voting for such people. These politicians also should not get away easily after making such mistakes or statements, at least they should face some electoral loss. Display of male chauvinism is always shameless but now it's becoming so blatant and widespread that we cannot afford to ignore it.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:
1. India’s pro-rapist lobby
2. Mulayam says ‘wrong’ anti-rape law should be amended
3. Women who have sex outside marriage should be hanged: SP leader Abu Azmi
4. Meet India's league of insensitive politicians

Arranged marriage: can it be called a legalized rape?

One of my friends called arranged marriage a "legalized rape." His statement didn't surprise me as I heard this previously also. I did not agree with this statement completely because I know many successful and happy arranged marriages (including my own). The system of arranged marriage is not perfect, it has many serious drawbacks, but even considering all drawbacks, it is an exaggerated statement to call all arranged marriages as legalized rape. However, this statement is not entirely wrong, the statement is not 100% right, but it's not also 100% wrong. It can make sense to a person only if he/she tries to understand the logic behind this argument. Some people might find this topic disgusting or offensive or against their tradition or culture, so for them, my advice is the intention is not to offend anyone but if they at all feel offended by this subject then please don't proceed and go and read some other post there are many other posts on this blog, hopefully, some of them won't offend you.

Arranged marriage is a system designed to find a partner for marriage. The system was designed during times when any unsupervised interaction between males and females was not allowed. In many societies, arranged marriage was the only way to get married. The system was controlled by parents and other elders as they used to decide everything, starting from selecting the bride or groom to the date and time of marriage. The bride and groom were just instruments to run this show. All decision and execution power used to rest in the hands of elders and slowly they extended this system to child marriage. After all, the consent or desire of the bride and groom didn't matter, so why have any age restriction, right? There can be many reasons why the consent of the boy and girl was not taken, the young age and immaturity might be the two biggest reasons. After the marriage next step is the consummation of marriage. According to Wikipedia, consummation or consummation of a marriage, in many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, is the first (or first officially credited) act of sexual intercourse between two people, either following their marriage to each other or after a prolonged sexual attraction. In any sexual act if there is no consent involved or if force is used against the will of any individual involved in it, it can be considered a rape or sexual assault. There are high chance of this happening during the consummation of many arranged marriages. I think this is what my learned friend meant when he made this comment.

People often cite high divorce rates in developed societies to prove the uselessness of love marriages. No matrimonial system is perfect, there are some pros and cons associated with every system, but only a fool will advocate any system where two people are allowed to get married without knowing each other. Allowing two people who want to get marry interact with each other to make their own informed decisions is the best way whether it happens through a love marriage or an arranged marriage doesn't matter. No doubt that good traditions and rituals should be preserved and continued but not all traditions are worth preserving, some need major reforms and as a society, we should be willing to change. Obtaining informed consent of the two people getting married is not wrong, rather it's beneficial for everyone interested in that union and can avoid many problems after marriage. Why not follow such a simple common sensible thing during the arranged marriage. Parents can definitely help whenever needed, and offer suggestions whenever asked but they should leave it to the two individuals to make decisions about their own lives, after all, they are the ones who are getting married. In any relationship, it is essential to learn to respect your partner's choices and their right to say no, and arranged marriages must ensure this to avoid it being labeled as a legalized rape.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Tarun Tejpal, Tehelka and sting operation against AAP

Two breaking news headlines grabbed my attention yesterday, one was a sting operation against the newly formed political party AAP by some website called Media Sarkar, and the other was sexual misconduct or rape charges against Tehlka's editor in chief Mr. Tarun Tejpal. In both cases, the integrity and actions of the entire organization or party were questioned because of the misconduct of a few individuals. No doubt the questions raised in both the cases are serious and they need to be addressed but that should not be the reason to target the entire organization and try to bring it down. 

No doubt that Tarun was an integral part of Tehelka (I understand that he resigned from his position so he is no more with Tehelka) but Tarun is not Tehelka and Tehelka is not Tarun. People should learn to differentiate the organization from the individual, the magazine has done a lot of good work in the past and all that work is the result of many creative and courageous journalists. Whatever Tarun did is wrong, it's his own responsibility and he should face the law and whatever punishment comes his way. It is also true that in a way this whole issue was handled by Shoma Choudhary, managing editor of Tehelka raised eyebrows, people expected somewhat better and strict action from them rather than something that looked like an attempt to downplay the incident. I hope they don't intend to intimidate the victim otherwise it will be sad to see the entire organization going down because of the actions of a few people. Sexual harassment in the workplace is a very serious issue. The Indian government as well as private organizations need to do a lot of work in this area so that these types of crimes are promptly reported and investigated to punish the culprits, no matter who they are. The victims of these crimes need all the support and encouragement they need. Tarun Tejpal's case looks pretty black and white as per media reports, it seems he accepted his mistake, and now law enforcement agencies need to take proper action and deliver justice. Many times such crimes go unreported for several reasons, there has to be a proper system and mechanism to detect and monitor such crimes.

Another news was about a sting operation against AAP, a newly formed party that is creating big waves in Delhi assembly elections. Both Congress and BJP (the two biggest national political parties in India, with huge backing and money power) are facing tough competition from AAP. actually, no one (including me) expected AAP to get so much popularity and to create such an impact in their first election. Sting operations are an integral part of investigative journalism, this technique is used to expose crimes that are difficult to prove otherwise. By definition, a sting operation is a deceptive operation used to catch a person committing a crime. This method has been used successfully to expose many bribery scandals, and corrupt practices in politics and bureaucracy. At the same time edited versions of video footage of these operations, by using the technique of selective editing or cut-paste technique, can be used to project a certain image of a person or party (positive or negative). Therefore, any inquiry panel investigating allegations based on these types of operations likes to see raw (or unedited) footage of any such sting operations, this is very common practice. AAP is demanding the same and I think they are within their rights with this demand. They also promised strict action against anyone who is found guilty after examination by their own panel or any independent constitutional agency (like the election commission). The timing of this sting operation is also questionable and looks very motivated to malign the image of AAP just before the election. I think their response was fairly positive and they are willing to accept that there might be something that needs immediate attention. This party entered the political arena not only with the intention to win but with an intention to change the rules of the game, to make it more transparent and fair for everyone. Today in India politics is considered a dirty game. Politicians are assumed to be corrupt and greedy by common people, maybe if more good people enter this profession they can change its image and this is what I want AAP to do. They should force other parties to field good, honest candidates with clean records, at least make them not give tickets to people with a serious criminal record, or people who are facing serious cases against them in court. If they can do this, this itself will be a huge improvement according to me.

Time will tell what will be the result of both investigations, but in both cases, the entire organization should not be blamed for the misconduct of a few people involved with that organization. I still don't think that it's correct to label all leaders from the BJP or Congress as corrupt because many of them are corrupt. There are many sincere and honest people in all these parties but as these parties are huge the percentage of corrupt people is also more, I am against gross generalization. But at the same time, I am not happy in general with the double standards used by these parties and also with their very complacent attitude towards corruption. They are directly or indirectly responsible for institutionalizing corruption. I hope this situation will change in the near future and people of India will get a more accountable and clean government which they desperately need. I hope parties like AAP act as a catalyst to initiate this reaction of cleaning the system on a larger scale. The question is not only about AAP or the dreams of Arvind Kejriwal, the question is about the expectations and hopes of millions of Indians who are waiting for the day when they get a clean and accountable government. Their hopes deserve a chance, and their dreams deserve consideration.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:
1. Mission Lokpal by Media Sarkar
2. Tehelka's Tarun Tejpal: Sex scandal batters India's top investigative title
3. http://www.tehelka.com/statement/
4. Tehelka case: Tarun Tejpal had totally different version, says Shoma Chaudhury
5. Why Sting Operation on AAP came just before Assembly Elections?

Rape is never the victim's fault

Recently, I saw this very realistic post on my Facebook wall shared by one of my friends, the post conveys a very important message "Rape is never the victim's fault". We all read many posts or articles where many people accuse victims of rape or any sexual assault for that crime. They question the victim's behavior, dress, choice of friends, and many other things. These things according to them encouraged the other person to sexually assault the victim. Most of these comments and objections try to put the entire blame of the incident on the shoulders of the victim and draw some ridiculous conclusion that the victim asked for it and got what she deserved. Forget about the insensitive nature of all these comments that's not what is important here but the attempt to put the blame on the victim and indirectly sympathize with the perpetrator of crime bothers me a lot. 

This picture below speaks for itself, no need to explain anything. Women have the total right to choose what they want to wear (the same choice that most cultures and societies offer to men). There is heavy commoditization of the human body in the advertising world but that's true for both genders. But women get criticized more for exposure compared to men. Some people (mostly men) are not very comfortable with the exposed women's bodies and behave erratically and they try to blame their weakness of erratic behavior on women. They use the name of culture, tradition, religion, or whatever that can help them to justify their erratic behavior. Women are expected to cover their bodies and show some decency, follow the rules that are supposed to help men control their sexual desires. Somehow society thinks that the responsibility of keeping men's sexual desires under control lies on women.

The accusation that by dressing in a particular way or by their behavior or choice of friends or partners in a relationship they ask or invite sexual assault is ridiculous. Nothing, absolutely nothing, gives anybody license to sexually harass anyone based on their appearance or behavior or anything. By putting the blame on the victim these people make that victim feel inferior, guilty, and worthless which is very dangerous as such isolated victims sometimes take the extreme step of ending their lives (then the same people blame them for being weak). Victim of any crime needs all support and help society can offer to him/her and victims of sexual crimes like rape need even more support because not only their bodies but their minds are also hurt and it's not easy to heal these types of injuries without a robust support system. Because of social pressure and the stigma attached to such crimes sometimes even near and dear ones hesitate to support victims the way they should. We need to confront this mentality. If these people are allowed to become successful they will bring back the era of human civilization where women were forced to cover themselves (not by choice but by force) and follow all gender-biased restrictions imposed on them by a male-dominated society. I don't think we want that era back. We need to make this clear to these people, stop blaming victims. I can't say that there are no fake rape accusations or that some people don't misuse sexual harassment laws to their advantage but these types of cases don't justify any victim blaming or shaming.

Sexual harassment is a very serious and complicated issue, and treating it in such a casual way is not the way to handle it. People need to be educated about this issue. Both men and women need to be educated about their rights and responsibilities. I know that we can not eradicate this problem completely but at least we can help the victims to deal with their pain and spread awareness to reduce these incidents.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic. 

(Copyright for text: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing) 

Links:

1. Elizabeth Smart: Abstinence Education Teaches Rape Victims They’re Worthless, Dirty, And Filthy

This is how you teach kids rape culture

I read this news article and was thinking really this is what we want to teach our kids? I see news articles about jeans bans, skirt bans, or some other bans (even burka or veil bans) in many schools and colleges. All over the world, this trend is on the rise, especially in so-called conservative or traditional societies and cultures. These bans are for female clothing and behavior compared to male clothing. So, there is also the issue of gender discrimination here. But the issue of gender discrimination is not the whole point here, the issue is what type of message we are trying to give to our kids? Do we want to tell them that women are responsible for (or they control) men's behavior? Do we want to tell women and girls that if these so-called men get "distracted" by their dress and do something inappropriate it's their fault as they were not dressed "properly"? Do these people who are so enthusiastic to implement these dress codes know the consequences of this practice?

Putting restrictions on women (about their dressing, behavior, etc.) or on any section of society by the dominant class is not a new phenomenon. It happened many times in human history and sadly it's still happening. This is how one group or gender tries to maintain its hold on another group or gender. We need to stop this as this is not a sign of a healthy society where everyone should have equal rights and opportunities. People who defend these dress codes and want to control the freedom of women defend their actions by saying that certain types of dresses and behaviors provoke men's feelings and force them to commit a mistake or crime. So, the offenders are painted as poor victims and surprisingly blame is entirely placed on the real victim in such cases. Strange but this is how these people think. This also gives an impression to all men and young boys that it's okay to lose control under certain cases where women violate boundaries set for them by their society or religion. It's not wrong to violate their rights or attack their bodies just because they didn't follow these rules. Most of these rules are heavily biased and targeted towards controlling women's behavior. This is terrible and I wonder how people can recommend something as primitive as this? 

Sexual harassment is a very serious issue and we need to take it very seriously. Blaming females for crimes committed against them is not going to help at all. We also need to educate males on how to control their emotions and behave with the opposite gender. This has to be part of their education. Nothing should be taken for granted just because of the external appearance of someone, be it a man or woman. I think we as a society are civilized enough to understand that we should not judge anyone based on their gender, race, nationality, or external appearance. As humans, we need to respect other human beings and this means respecting their freedom, choices, and other aspects of their identity. I agree that we are also animals inhabiting this planet like other animal species but there is a huge difference between us and other animals and we should always remember this before justifying some cruel animal-like behavior. Always putting the blame on the victim for the way she was dressed (or saying she was too drunk, walking alone, etc.) not only shows how insecure our society is for women but also shows our inability to search for real reasons for this problem. By putting the blame for these types of incidents on the victim people are indirectly encouraging or protecting the offender which is not going to stop these incidents.  These types of comments convey an indirect message to all males that it's not their fault if they misbehave or lose control of their emotions under certain circumstances, this is what I mean by teaching rape culture and we need to stop this.

We need to educate both men and women about their rights and responsibilities. Teaching only one gender about their rights and putting the whole burden of responsibility and morality on the other gender is not a solution as it creates a very unbalanced society. It might have worked in the past when the structure of society was totally different from today, but this is not the solution for today's society. We need to change this attitude no matter how difficult it is. Don't teach girls not to get raped, teach boys not to rape. Both genders are part of this problem so both of them should be equally involved in creating the solution otherwise it won't work. There is no weaker or stronger sex here, both are equal and should be treated like that. When most people understand this then only we can dream of a safer world for women, till then we need to work to educate people around us. Just making laws and punishing a few criminals won't solve this problem.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic. 

(Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing)

Reference:
1. http://feministing.com/2013/04/10/this-is-how-you-teach-rape-culture-to-12-year-olds/

India and Bharat - are they different?

Recent remarks by RSS chief Mr. Mohanrao Bhagwat that rapes are prevalent in India (by this he means a more liberal and modern population), not in Bharat (a rural, more conservative, or traditional part of India) created a lot of controversy in the media. Many people found it very controversial. Even Asaram Bapu said something very stupid in this regard. Personally, I was not very surprised after reading this comment as this type of mindset is still prevalent in even educated people in India and Mr. Bhagvat is representative of that conservative mindset. I have seen a lot of good work done by RSS, they try to instill a feeling of patriotism among people at the same time they are heavily biased toward Hinduism and are instrumental in spreading communal divide based on religion. They don't hide their close association with Hinduism. This is one of their major handicaps like many other organizations that associate themselves exclusively with a particular religion and feel the compulsion to defend each and everything mentioned in their scriptures and try to reinforce their traditions and culture. This particular comment comes from that mindset, where they believe a traditional, conservative society is better for women. Women should stay indoors, they are supposed to take care of their homes and families and cover themselves. Earning or doing a job is not considered a woman's responsibility. 

This statement by Mr. Bhagwat clearly doesn't make any sense. Actually, this shows that he is totally out of touch with reality. Every society has rich (more affluent) and poor sections, in India the difference is more contrast. Very often rich people follow a more liberal lifestyle, and this is somehow blamed on the Western influence. There is no logic behind this, it's a pathetic attempt to blame some outsider for things that one can not avoid or control. In today's world with modern and sophisticated modes of communication interaction between different cultures and societies is more common. People adopt whatever suits them. The exchange of ideas, traditions, and customs is very easy and common and no one can stop this. Whatever is good and relevant to people's needs will survive and other things will go away. Some bad elements will also creep in and will stay, but this was the case all the time. At every point in time in every society in our history, we had good customs and traditions and also bad ones. Today's society is not very different in that way. We are much more well equipped as far as technology and resources are concerned and it can do wonders if we can use it to our advantage.

This logic of India and Bharat is an indirect attempt to criticize the more affluent section of Indian society for their more liberal lifestyle. Women are generally more independent in these societies and also more outgoing. This criticism is mainly directed towards these independent women. According to his statement, such independent women only live in India but not in Bharat. It sounds very illogical and weird but it seems this is how Mr. Bhagwat thinks. While making this comment I wonder how Mr. Bhagwat conveniently forgot the situation of women in his so-called Bharat, where they are raped, molested, burned, and killed every day. Their situation is not very different than other parts of the country. The law and order situation is even worse in these places compared to cities. Just because women stay mostly indoors, do conventional jobs, they don't wear Western clothes doesn't mean they are safer and well-protected or well-cultured than women who do these things. I really wonder how people still believe and live with these types of illusions.

What type of world do they want to live in? Why are they so against independent and strong women? Why do they feel that women are supposed to do only certain types of work? Why are they not willing to give them equal treatment and the respect they deserve? There are many questions like this and I know what answers these people will give to most of these questions, but even then we need to ask these questions and argue with them because these people who think like this are part of our society and we can not neglect or ignore them. We need to question them. We need to argue with them and try to convince them. We should share our views about equality and women's empowerment with them. We all need to pay our part in bringing this change, unless the whole society is transformed this change will not come and our job is not done. If we brand them as conservatives and backward, ignore or neglect them, then we will be making the same mistake that organized religion did with nonbelievers. We need to talk with them, understand their views, and show them the other side of the coin, sounds very tough but there is no other way.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

References:
1. Rapes prevalent in India not in Bharat- The Hindu
2. Rapes occur in India not Bharat-Bhagwat-TOI
3. Marriage is like contract between husband wife-Mohan Bhagwat (TOI)
4. Delhi gang rape victim as guilty as her rapists-Asaram Bapu (TOI)