We speak of women empowerment, feminism, Saving and educating the girl child and innumerable other fancy terms that tends to highlight the glory of women for a short period of time. It is transient and these moments of honour, worth pass away swiftly with time. It is commendable to speak such words at interviews, conferences and meetings but how much of it is actually practised at ground level ?
The question lies that are women really safe today be it at home or outside,
Do they have the right to pursue their ambitions and strive to accomplish them, Can they think and feel fearlessly ??? Everybody is seeking answers to these questions that still continue to be left unanswered. Nobody knows why and how to resolve these social complexities . In a misogynistic society like India , men are usually given the upper hand. They are the ones who dominate. Deeds performed by them are usually not judged or commented upon however the same does not go for a woman. She has got to justify every action, thought, feeling that she performs or possesses. Thus accounting for various Atrocities committed against woman. In the light of the recent molestation case reported in bengaluru and various other such cases reported everyday of harassment, abuse, torture, in public transport, domestic violence. It is the women eho are targetted . We might boast of gender parity but it still seems a far fetched idea. Women are treated worse than stray dogs nowerdays. Objectification of women has become a daily practice and people do it shamelessly, blaming it on all the women. The way a woman dresses up, till what time is she out, with whom ? and for what reason are all being questioned . We might have stepped into the 21st century, with immense technological advancements, booming economy, spurt in manufacturing and services but the mindset is still sexist. The sad part is even the ministers of indian party politics accuse women of such horrifying incidents, issuing advisory of not being allowed to wear certain clothes to a temple or simply shrugging off shoulders by saying that such incidents keep happening and that it need not be given much importance. If the people who influence the working of the nation being the opinion leaders, formulating policies for the supposed welfare of our country can utter such offensive words and shirf off their duties , how can one expect common man to adopt healthy thinking and actions.
Every political party and political leader speaks of women safety, advocating women power, promising to take initiatives to protect their dignity but nothing done on the ground level. Many incidents infact go unreported due to the sole reason of inaction and lax law and order. Corrupt officials, government ,police are all reasons to add on to. Though we have witnessed a change in the way women are presented in the media be it films, social media with women portraying more self dependent, strong characters however the change is yet to bee seen. A woman still feels afraid to return home late at night. Her hands tremble with fear, legs shake out of horror. she is not even safe in a cab which is ideally meant to escort women safely to their homes from work. Her heart beats a tattoo counting every second till she reaches home. This is the ground reality. NO police patrolling areas actually happen, no cops at periodic places.
Speaking of online tracking and alert measures. Connectivity is not robust and fails at times. Women are not even safe at home and cases of abuse reported at home have become quite common in contemporary situation. Instead of asking women to learn self defence and carry weapons that might protect them why not instead teach boys to learn and respect women in all aspects of life. Does being physically different or to put it as physically more attractive than boys , give men the permission to touch a woman inappropriately without her consent ?? The sad part is such heinous crimes are done in the name of pranks later uploading an apology video on youtube . Will this apology bring bak her self esteem and worth that the lost ?
Stringent actions and more efficient systems are needed to reduce such acts if not wipe them out completely. India is a country of rich cultural heritage having a diverse culture and diaspora of various regions nevertheless such incidents denigrate and tarnish the name of our country making it an unsafe haven for women.
So nect time before celebrating womens day and commemorating a day of fake honour and respect, think down deeply on how to improve the already tense situation.
It is time to go ahead of candle marches and convincing speeches of solace.