I was accustomed to the rape culture of India, but when I was in Class 9 the brutal gang-rape of a physiotherapy intern shook the whole world to its core. On the night of December 16, 2012, Jyoti Singh Pandey was heading back home with her friend when she was raped and tortured by six men inside a moving bus. The men were not even content with raping her, they penetrated her with a rusted iron rod. She was severely injured and passed away on December 29, 2012.
You must be wondering why I am reiterating this story after six years. Because when it comes to the safety of women in this country, absolutely nothing has changed.
I always wonder who is responsible for our country’s increasing rape culture. Is it the government? Is it our judicial system? Or is it our society? I feel each one of us is responsible for the adversities faced by women in India. We never raise our voice against it. Most of us stay silent when we see boys misbehaving with girls. Very few of us have the courage to fight those perverts and save the victim, we simply see a crime taking place in front of us and we stay silent.
Being a woman, I know how it feels when a man continuously stares at you and you just sit there, waiting for him to look away or for someone to step in and help you out. We have to try our best to protect ourselves because there is no guarantee whether people around us will offer help or not. Those perverts won’t stop until they are acquainted with the fierce side of women. Women should know that if someone is mocking or touching them in an inappropriate manner, they don’t need to stay silent, they should do everything it takes to protect themselves.
Rape Cases in India
- North India as a whole, is considered to be more crime-ridden and unsafe for women.
- National Crime Reports Bureau had released a report in 2011, stating that 24,206 rape cases were registered in India out of which 6,226 were reported in North India.
- According to the NCRB 2013 annual report, 24,923 rape cases were reported across India in 2012.
- In 2015, more than 34,000 rape cases were reported in the country.
- In 2017, almost 5 rape cases were reported daily.
Rape in India is the fourth most common crime against women and most of the rapes still go unreported. We, as a country have to stand for the safety of our women. I don’t understand what will be the use of BETI PADHAO BETI BACHAO when there will be no BETI left in our country. We have to stay united and fight against the problems faced by women. We have to make this country a better place for women, where they can work, travel and live peacefully, without the fear of getting raped.