Trigger Warning: mention of rape
The title itself points towards many solutions and gives birth to many questions in people’s minds. Innocent is the one, who is altruistic, kind and spreads love in society. But their innocence fails to get any respect, which they actually deserve.
In India, we know that women are capable of anything and are much stronger than men. But, sexual violence against them is rampant. More specifically, I am talking about the horrendous rapes that rape survivors have had to endure.
A veterinarian who lived in Hyderabad, was allegedly gang-raped, tortured and burnt alive under a bridge in Hyderabad. What was her mistake? It feels the same as the unfortunate Nirbhaya case in New Delhi.
There has been a rising fear of harassment and rapes over the years in India. Everyone says India has the largest democracy in the world and our justice is so absolute and always on time. I say India is not at all absolute in terms of justice. Rape survivors don’t get the justice that they actually deserve. The patriarchy and toxic masculinity lead to men not knowing how to respect women or how to take care or how to love gently. Infants as young as 6 months are heinously raped. Why is this happening?
One of the culprits in the Hyderabad case was below 18 years old. And for him, the court cannot serve life imprisonment or the death penalty. Why is it so? Can he get away with anything he wants to without any punishment? Harming someone else’s right is not your right to freedom.
We need to raise our voice. As true citizens of this country, we have to speak for the innocent. Otherwise, there is no justice and fear of law remains. In recent news, a girl named Anu Dubey in New Delhi started a protest outside the parliament against rape. She was also beaten by a few policemen, but soon after she was released and continued her protest. People like her are the ones who stand with the victims of brutal incidents. We need to learn from her.
Even after 7 years of Nirbhaya case, we couldn’t control rape. Our government, court and constitution failed to protect the innocent. And especially, we, the citizens couldn’t stop it. Now is the time to wake up.
Let the Ram Mandir be, and start saving Sita from burning. We, the youth, have to speak for the survivors and this time, we don’t want another candle march. We want peace. And we will achieve it only after we destroy all the demons living in our society.
Start saving our daughters. Let them know that we are there to help and protect them. Let the world know that we are the safest country for all human beings. We have to take an oath to stop the killing of innocents and protect every human being.