Violence prevails silence...

We have been very efficiently taught about the use of keywords by our faculty to search relevant information but then, due to my layman searching, I just happened to read an article on a much unknown website. I was searching for a song from ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ on google when I accidentally landed on this website gandhigiri.org. The article on this website (http://gandhigiri.org/gandhigiriarticles/display_article.asp?article_id=20) motivated me to write it. The day a girl is born she eventually becomes a victim of violence. Violence against women, dalits and minority takes many forms. It is not only against dalits but whole of women community. They are killed in the womb, they are traded for sex and labour, they are also burnt for dowry and also face molestation and sexual harassment. They are also not allowed to take part in decision making. Most of the cases are unreported due to social stigma.

It is said that as more of the people are getting education crime against women has decreased. But according to the statistics in the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) crime annual report 2007, instances of crime against women in the last year were on the rise. There is 3.51 per cent increase in the number of cases filed under the section of ‘crime against women'. According to the report, 20 per cent reported molestation, 9 per cent registered complaints of rape, 8 per cent filed cases of abetment to commit suicide, while 3 per cent were cases of dowry deaths. Around 2 per cent of women have complained of human trafficking; and there was a one per cent incidence of women murdered for dowry and attempt to commit murder for dowry.

Even female living in big cities, irrespective of age, single or married, faces the same problem. Women are advised to avoid dark and lonely spots, move in groups, it is good to have a male member accompanying the female, not talk back if somebody passed lurid comments and most popular advice is to dress decently and so on. Women, especially working, have to go out, and have every right to do so. They cannot always choose their routes or timings. Shouldn't we, instead, go for an alternative line of action: Take strong action to make every place safe?

Things will change only when women are encouraged to speak up and express. As long as they remain victims, the crime will carry on. An average Indian woman is socially, politically and physically weaker than men. It has become very important that if a girl motivates herself to report about a crime, she should be helped and not laughed on. Training in verbal as well as physical self-defence helps. I think protection of women matters a lot. We, as the youth of India need to come out with more solutions to make India a better and peaceful place to live in. What do you think guys?


Shikha Garg