A statement from Union minister Santosh Gangwar on Sunday left me wondering – are we really ever going to be safe? While interacting with the media, the minister stated that, “Such incidents (rape cases) are unfortunate situation… But sometimes you can’t stop them. Government is active everywhere and taking action which is visible to everyone.” He further added ,“In a big country like ours, if one or two incidents take place, brouhaha should not be created over it. This is not fair… Government is taking effective steps… Whatever is necessary will be done.”
A similar incident happened last year when Abu Azmi, a Samajwadi Party minister, blamed women for the molestation incidents that happened in Bengaluru on New Year’s Eve. In an interview, the minister made a remark on women – “If there’s gasoline, there will be fire. If there’s split sugar, ants will gravitate towards it for sure.”
Ministers who have this kind of thinking and those who have criminal cases pending against them are part of the government from whom we expect protection. If we rely on people like them for our safety, how can we ever be safe? Just because we are living in a ‘big country’, are we not allowed to feel secure? The issue at hand is not whether it’s one case or a hundred; the question is why should there even be one such case? Why can’t a woman be allowed to live her life as openly and liberally as the other members of the society? Why is an 8-year-old not allowed to play freely outside her house? Why does her safety become the biggest issue since the day she is born? A 4-month-old, an 8-year-old, a 17-year-old… why is a hint of humanity so hard to find? Despite the government’s efforts, the condition of women safety is getting worse in the country. The hope for a better tomorrow is fading more and more, every day.
The problem doesn’t stop here – there are concerns which are not even seriously addressed yet – for instance, an issue like ‘marital rape’. The problem is that people are not even familiar with the idea of ‘consent’ – just because you are married to the person doesn’t give you a right to force yourself on that person.
The root of these problems is in the mentality of the people. Whether it’s the common people or the minsters, the outlook of people needs to change.
The cases of rape, molestation, will not stop until and unless the men in the society start considering women as their equals and not as inferior members of the society.