By Panchali Mallik:
While I begin to pen down my thoughts on this particular topic, something just passed by my mind saying, how am I supposed to express? Will this help the present situation at all in any way? I am not really looking forward to making a difference, neither am I trying to prove a point on the basis of reiterating “Pen is mightier than the sword”. There has been a lot written and discussed about the topic that I am about to deliberate on. Nevertheless, there wasn’t any single noteworthy consequence which followed after the subsequent questioning on our country’s judicial system pertaining to legal justifications of punishments prescribed.
I see regular tweets on twitter and my Facebook page getting flooded on how disgraceful and contradictory our judicial conventions are! The sheer callousness on the part of our legal system to make proactive decisions on amending the existing body of laws leaves me exasperated. I do feel frustrated, and more so, I feel frustrated on being a women in my country, whom I love unfathomably. I am disgusted with every person (irrespective of who they are and what their gender is) who tag me a feminist whenever I try to voice my opinions on the inadequacy of our government to ensure protection to us, our clan!
He is said to be the most brutal of the six accused on the Delhi rape case. I feel brokenhearted and distraught to sit back and witness the procedure in motion which is about to set him free in maximum 3 years. The reason being, his age falls short by few months than the minimum age qualified for appropriate punishments for the crime committed. What the so-called respected legislative clan of our society fails to understand is that promises of amendments and the incomprehensible display of urgency to formulate a stricter law so that rapist don’t get their posterior saved from the crime committed is an ancient act far from being trustworthy.
In Section 375 of Indian Penal Code, Rape has been defined as sexual intercourse by a man with a woman 1. Without her consent! 2. against her will and so on. Woman has been defined under section 10 of this act as “woman of any age” and man as “a male of any age“. Nevertheless, there is a series of hue and cry raised over the punishment to be considered applicable for the minor who was the most brutal of all orchestrating the gruesome act of inhumanity.
It is not an easy job to maintain sanctity while the epigrammatic expression of utter disgust.Yet, I have endeavored to write this article with as much inviolability as possible. I doubt, given the present situation of possibilities, how much forming a committee to scrutinize on Juvenile Justice Act or calling police “evasive” will help to improve the safety of women.
“I, the woman of my country”, am shattered to see how grotesque somebody could get in inflicting sexual abuse to a 5 year old. I term myself as courageous to step out of my house and I am disgusted to even criticize the way rape is explained by few esteemed individuals of our country. Compensation is not what I need. All I need is the liberty the freedom of movement and life that I deserve. I feel sorry for myself because I have been forced to demand what is birth right!
Hoping that rape does not get synonymous to the spirit of celebrating manhood, the women of my country are looking forward to little movements of the dorsal of legislative being in our country. I only seek freedom to live safely within the said geographical periphery defining my country; I only seek to be respected and not to be looked down upon as an object of gratification, physically and Emotionally!