It is heartbreaking to wake up every day and read news articles only about women being raped and murdered. Every morning, I read a new incident that has taken place. I cannot do anything to help anyone nor do I have the power to change the law. I can only share my opinion because I was given a voice.
Right after the Hyderabad rape case, I read similar articles about areas that are normally not very exposed to the outer world. It is disgusting, horrifying and terrible. India as a country has its freedom, equal rights and gives fair justice. I have studied this throughout my school life. So, I ask you, why does the government not stand by it? Why is it that women have to be scared the moment they step out of the house? Why should the parents and the family members set a curfew for women and not for men in a county like India, the largest democracy in the world?
Recent news includes articles, such as the Unnao rape case, where the woman was raped by a Member of Legislative Assembly, and her family was killed when they tried to seek help.
A 45-year-old woman, who was beaten by her husband, went to get her wounds checked in the hospital and a ward attendant assaulted her. Another piece of news talks about a woman who tried to seek help from the police, and got raped in the name of assured help!
You really cannot believe this is your country right? I think the same too! In a country where mythology states that when Draupadi was assaulted sexually in public, everyone just stood there watching the incident unfold. The only difference was that Lord Krishna was there to protect her from being stripped of her pride and security. Another twist in mythology is, the story of Lord Krishna stealing the clothes of the women taking a bath in the village pond and hiding them.
When Sita returned to the kingdom after 14 years, the court men and the public told Lord Rama that she cannot be accepted back into their society because she lived with Raavana. She was told to prove her purity by surrounding herself in a circle of fire which is commonly called, “Agnipariksha”. Our so-called Lord Rama’s wife had to prove her worthiness of being a wife again.
We are living in a country where one prefers to marry a virgin girl but does nothing when her virginity, pride and security is being stripped off by the people out there. Liberal outlooks always sound very grand and amazing but the mentality remains the same as always. You cannot change them and neither can I.
If the ones we seek help from are the ones we need to stay away from, then who do we go to? Who will stand for us and fight for fair justice? From what I have noticed, no one will. Some are busy building temples, some are protesting that these are fake incidents to overthrow the government and some just won’t support it because they might lose a lot of votes.
Don’t you understand? We are citizens of a country that has never given equal recognition and representation to women since the beginning of time, as far as I can remember. India has a scary history where widows were burnt alive with the dead husband called, “Sati”. It did not matter if it was a woman or just a child. Child marriage was legal then too. Are you really surprised that this is what India is right now?
We demand Justice. We demand a change in the law immediately and there should not be any mercy or hearing. We do not want them to have the freedom that helps them getaway every time they commit something like this. We want them to be given punishment and we also want the victims and the families to be given fair justice.
India was built on the foundation of the Constitution. If you break the foundation, there is no platform on which we can share, voice out our opinions or stand up to a fight for equal rights, laws, and justice. Bring back this country to its original glory. We cannot accept this cruelty. We just cannot.