“Any act of gender-based violence that results in or may result in physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty whether occurring in public or private life.” – WHO
While reading the definition itself, certainly each woman instinctively recalled instances when they were physically, mentally or sexually harassed or harmed or received threats.
Institutionalised gender inequality and gender-based violence have been an inherent part of the Indian society for ages, but amidst the pandemic, there has been a surge in the crime rates against women. UN Women has referred to this rise in cases against women during the pandemic as the “shadow pandemic”. In the shadow and pretence of a “safe place or your home” another pandemic is raging and ruthlessly killing innocent lives. The nature of this pandemic is just not physically and mentally torturing, but also sexually and psychologically against only one gender — India’s daughters.
Domestic violence is any behaviour, the purpose of which is to gain power and control over a spouse or partner. It is a social and legal concept that refers to any abuse including physical, emotional or financial between intimate partners.
According to UN Women, globally, 243 million women have been subjected to sexual or physical violence perpetrated by members of their own family or intimate partner. One in every three women has experienced Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).
Amidst the lockdown, there has been a dramatic but not-so-surprising surge in the number of cases due to tensions arising from health and money matters. While one pandemic on the outside is ending innocent human lives regardless of their gender, class, caste, religion and race, the other one on the inside (domestic violence and sexual harassment) is killing and sucking the life out of innocent, helpless women and girls in their own homes.
“Over 4,300 cases of domestic violence have been reported to the National Women’s Commission for Women (NCW) since March this year, with Uttar Pradesh and Delhi topping the list of ignominy. Between 1 March and 18 September, the NCW has received 4,350 complaints through email, phone and a dedicated WhatsApp number during the period when the country is in the grip of Covid-19 pandemic.”
Economic instability, unsafe housing, neighbourhood violence and lack of social support can worsen already tenuous situations. The role of the pandemic in the massive hike of cases has been very simple if we break it down — the need for men to feel powerful and have authority over someone.
As the pandemic started gaining momentum and the lockdown began, homes became and still are a rather dangerous place for a lot of women since they have to spend days after days with abusive or potential abusive partners or family members and away from people who can validate their experience and give help.
Gender-based violence is not isolated; it is systemic oppression and manipulation — psychologically and physiologically.
The act of non-consensual sex is used as a tool to exploit, torture and establish power over other human beings, and in this scenario, women. When men feel powerless, or they are looking to establish authority, they do so by forcibly torturing women, be it by battering them or sexually or psychologically by threatening or emotionally and verbally abusing them which leads to “fear psychosis” wherein women prefer staying quiet over facing any more harassment.
Saying that this pervasive violence against women has only one layer to it, that being gender, would be a lie. Class, caste, religion, stereotypical gender roles are all intersectional and equally important. They play a huge role in the abuse and maltreatment of women.
The sickening and quite frankly worrisome Hathras case cannot just be seen as gender-based violence, the caste of the girl played a huge role. We live in a casteist society. If and when the person is a woman and her caste is that of a Dalit or Bahujan and she is from the lower strata of our society, regrettably, but inevitably she becomes the prey to such heinous crimes.
Men from the upper caste and upper classes feel they have hegemony over people who are in the lower strata; they do not think twice before using physical torture and sex as a tool to establish and exercise power. It is almost like a tradition now to prey over the weak, and as sad as it is, it is the truth because again, this violence is institutionalised. On 17 November, 2020, two Dalit sisters were killed and dumped in a pond in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur.
The class came in when men were laid off from their jobs and if they were the primary bread-winners, there was a lot of apprehension due to no source of income. The fact that money equals power and that men have to take care of the family by earning money in a capitalist, patriarchal society, puts a lot of pressure on men and from there a sense of security and the idea of “manliness” takes birth.
Job loss, salary cuts, an uncertain future arising from the lockdown had and still has everyone on the edge. The insecurity and the urge to be violent to not only displace anger but also feel powerful is the main reason behind domestic violence. Toxic masculinity gives men a free pass to take out the frustration on the women by being violent and abusive.
Religion also plays a huge part in today’s world, especially when there is a lot of Islamophobia. A Muslim woman succumbed to her burns on 15 November, 2020, in the Vaishali district of Bihar. She was killed because she resisted sexual harassment. She was threatened that she would be killed the day before too.
The following day, the accused, along with his sons, set her ablaze when she went to dispose of garbage outside. Of course, a lot of people do not know about this tragic incident because the victim is a Muslim woman and she cannot be accused of “love jihad” to divert attention.
Stereotypical ideologies stemming from traditional gender roles and hegemonic masculinity are an important factor. Men usually spend most of their days outside the home, not used to moving things around, getting their hands dirty. The feeling that they are getting bossed around, not feeling “manly” enough, egos getting bruised, lead the way for more insecurity and exasperation in marriage and family.
Some men are acting out and feeling ‘secure’ by verbally abusing, shouting and yelling, physically and sexually assaulting women and harassing them, since they feel they won’t get reported.
It is just not these factors, of course, but the fact that men know whatever they do they will be able to get away with it, no repercussions to their actions. There are enough precedents of criminals walking around scot-free despite being convicted. Neither does the government enforce any strict measures nor are there enough agencies who can take care of such cases, the perpetrators of violence know their actions won’t meet with any punishment, there is no fear whatsoever.
A girl was shot dead in broad daylight in Faridabad outside her college. Why? The reason behind such a conniving, gory act was that she had stopped taking calls from her killer and had blocked his number. A woman’s agency to take her own decisions led to the death of her because her killer could not handle rejection.
So, the accused acted out and shot the girl in broad daylight because his ego got hurt. This is the power of hegemonic masculinity; the thought itself that he could shoot a girl who decided to cut off contact with him.
Nirbhaya got justice after 8 years. Thousands of cases against domestic violence and rape keep piling up, but a person accused of aiding and abetment of suicide gets not only a court hearing but bail too just within 4 days.
While India’s apparent daughters and sisters are burning quite literally, dying, suffering; our government chooses to stay quiet and create a diversion through religion or by setting fire to India’s daughter in the middle of the night or by simply choosing to stay quiet and taking the side of the oppressor.
For the most part, we, women are still on our own and it really is a man’s world. This is the cruel reality because if god forbid women do speak up, a witch-hunt begins, not only on their careers but also their lives are jeopardised.
So, quite frankly, this pandemic within a pandemic or the “shadow pandemic” against the women in India will not stop any time soon unless the men and authorities decide to take a stand. Along with the strict implementation of laws, fair judicial trials and cruel punishments we need a new education system altogether that caters to every community’s needs and teaches right from wrong teaches the tools to handle difficult situations in life.
If collectively as a society men are educated on how to use words instead of inflicting pain and our women are taught that no amount of love or frustration justifies physical, mental, psychological and sexual torture and they should speak up and demand justice. That is the only way we can expect some change in this never-ending cycle of institutionalised violence.