08
S ocial
15-21 August 2014
{ Ashok Lal }
A
fter listening to extensive debates inside the Parliament and on TV channels, I feel that both the authorities as well as the general society are just beating around the bush on this complex problem. I would like to propose some workable solutions. After the 'Nirbhaya' experience and the awakening all around, it was felt that crimes against women would soon see a decline. Justice Verma came out with a landmark report. But has all this made even an iota of difference? In fact the country has seen an increase in heinous crimes. The national Budgets for the last two years had allocated a thousand crores for schemes to enhance women's security. But no one has the faintest clue about these schemes or even what they should be. A time will come when all the money allocated would be quietly 'spent'. So much for what is officially being done. Off the record, there are millions of suggestions. The most bizarre ones start with the way women should dress. Can somebody ask them what was wrong with the school uniform the 6-year-old was wearing when raped by the physical instructor in a Bangalore school? What provocative dress were the two sisters wear-
{ Sri Bimal Mohanty}
W
Women's Safety & Security ing in UP when they were gang raped and hung from a tree? For that matter, what provocative dress was 'Nirbhaya' wearing when she was picked up in a bus and raped? Today surely almost all sections of Indian males travel abroad, where the dresses are more revealing and 'flimsy'. Why does the male libido not act up as much there? The answer is 'fear'. Fear helps to firmly control the senses and urges of any such criminal. That fear is missing in our country. There is neither a fear of the law, nor a fear of being shamed if caught, nor a fear of being castigated by society. In fact, contrarily, there is a sense of 'security' among some criminals, that the 'right' lawyers would take up their cases if they were caught. Other criminals even have (or are taught) the audacity of faking their age, so that they get the benefit of being treated as juveniles. Jail is also not such a bad thing for them. Many of them enjoy a much better quality of life in jail than what their slums have to offer. If the criminals are from affluent families,
they know that their fathers will ensure lenient treatment in jails and get them out on bail soon. If they are a part of a local goons gang, they know that their friends outside will frighten and threaten the girl and her family to withdraw the case. If the case becomes politically sensitive, the main criminals are asked to cool their heels till the 'intellectuals' fight it out on TV channels, or the matter is 'noted' in assemblies and even the Parliament. Where, in all this, is the fear? Where is the chance for any change? The longer-term answer lies in education - not so much in academics, but in the development of ethics and morality. Also, in developing and sustaining organisations like the Boy Scouts and Home Guards - and even the NCC. Every student from the age of 14 must compulsorily be a part of one of these organisations. The training for Girl Guides should also include self-defence. And howsoever liberalised a society we wish to create, there has to be a blockage of all Internet channels showing porn and sexual aberrations.
Even the most backward slums or JJ clusters have places that run pornographic videos and DVDs, and which are becoming breeding grounds for sex maniacs. The law enforcement agencies must come down most heavily on those who are providing and vending this muck. If any police officer feigns ignorance about this activity in his area, he should be departmentally reprimanded. That still leaves the most difficult to identify sex offenders, often well hidden in well-to-do homes and families. Few homes are free from them. It is the duty of all parents to teach their children, both boys and girls, to scream and shout whenever any elder relative or acquaintance makes any obscene advances towards them. Such wolves in sheep's clothing have to be exposed and shunned by society. This applies to fathers, uncles and friends alike. Our tendency to hide the reality of such acts, or to push such events under the carpet, only emboldens these sex offenders. The parents should always be very clear about which close relatives are safe to leave their
children with. TV channels can help by showing documentaries depicting how such maniacs operate within households and workplaces. We all have to be vigilant in identifying the potential culprits, exposing them and shunning them - howsoever 'respectable', influential or powerful they may be. Society also has to scoop out certain sects of sadhus and peddlers who sell drugs and concoctions that are said to enhance virility - going to the extent of recommending sex with a child as a cure for many sex or virility disorders. It is the gullible who patronise such vendors, who are always on the look out for vulnerable children. Many sex crimes in schools are the result of such mischief. Making kids aware of all this and imparting sex education is therefore important. Finally, why should women have been raped repeatedly, or kept captive for months, if they knew that someone would come forward to help them the moment they shouted even once? Sex crimes against women and children can and should be stopped by the very society that has created them. There are some clear harsh ground realities that we must first accept, and then work on solutions from the ground up. u
I Day Musing
henever a new Independence Day dawns, it is customary to greet each other as proud citizens of this great country, the world’s largest democracy. We have statesmen and political leaders addressing the nation, eulogising the great work that has been done for the country’s progress and the welfare of the public at large. We have grand orations about the great strides we have made in the spheres of the economy, science, education, healthcare, agriculture, commerce and industry - and on our position among the council of nations. However, this day should also be a day for some serious introspection and productive contemplation - especially among those who are well off. “Have we made good progress on the vision(s) of our leading lights? Has India established its rightful place in the world? The visionaries’ dream for India was one of leadership in the field of ideas and of the flow of the wisdom of our eternal values across the globe. India was
visioned as the emerging spiritual leader of humanity. Instead, bankruptcy in the quality of life is so noticeable today and ‘dharma’ has receded to the background. The return of ‘dharma’ is the only viable remedy before us. Dharma is the basis of democracy. Democracy is not just about rights, but also about citizens responsibly undertaking their duties. The many diversities of culture, language, creed, behavioural patterns, beliefs and physical, mental and psychological distinctions have to all be successfully blended into one unified nation – through the path of ‘dharma’. The challenge is for every individual to wake up. To echo the thoughts of our ancient philosophers, what we need is the revival of knowledge and the ability to then act on it. India fortunately has thousands of years of research on human development to fall back on. Let us not expect any government or system to inculcate value systems to us. Let each individual stand responsible.
It is dharma that is being depleted…
When the ugly heads of rampant corruption and crime show up everywhere, it is ‘dharma’ that is being depleted; when poverty, malnutrition, infant mortality, child labour and basic education continue to plague us, it is dharma that is being depleted; when the parents and teachers have abdicated their duties, and ignorance overrides knowledge, it is dharma that is being depleted. When social crimes get conveniently forgotten under the excuse of systemic failure and arrogant apathy, it is dharma that is being fast depleted. When the sanity of a protesting voice is silenced by the power of authority and law, it is dharma that has been depleted.
{ Archana Kapoor Nagpal} In the early morning the warble of a bird There is a song of freedom Cold water of Ganges splashing over the rocks There is a song of freedom. Tinkle of her bangles as she pumps the water There is a song of freedom The morning ‘azan’ and the evening ‘aarti’ There is a song of freedom.
Song of Freedom In the rain a peacock dancing in the backyard There is a song of freedom Giggle of children as they fly kites at the hilltop There is a song of freedom Echo of the flute in the silence of the snowfall There is a song of freedom In the prayer of a mother for her soldier son at the border There is a song of freedom