SAFETY OF WOMEN IN INDIA

~Authored by Adithi Ravi Sagar

“The day a women can walk freely on the roads at night, that day we can say India has achieved independence.” -Mahatma Gandhi.

Safety of women has always been a topic of debate and a major matter of concern in India. India is a home to 662.90 million females where women from different fields have made the country proud.[1] Women have always been oppressed in this country. Since the ancient times, their position was just meant to be in the kitchen and bear children, which unfortunately could still be seen in the current times in the underdeveloped parts of India. India got independence in 1947 but it is saddening to say that it still has not got complete freedom from anti-social elements against women in the society. Women are still scared to go out in dark, people are still afraid to send out their daughters, sisters out in the night. This leads to an unanswered question that even though the country is developing, women are afraid of stepping out of the house in night alone.

In India, people worship goddess Durga, where a female is idolized for her courage and bravery but in today’s society, women are condemned for speaking up and in turn again abused. Goddess Saraswathi is the goddess of wisdom and enlightenment but number of girl children getting education is very low. A girl child is treated as burden while a boy as a blessing.

With India emerging out as one of the most developing nations of the world, it still lacks to take measures regarding women’s safety. India is considered to be one of the most dangerous countries for women. Indian women are constantly living in a state of fear when they are alone on the streets or at work, or in the markets. According to the latest NCRB report, 2019 observed over 4 lakh reported cases of crime against women. NCRB reported 32,033 rape cases which are about 88 rape cases daily. In 2018, more than 93 percent of the rape cases reported were done by someone known to the victim. Women are raped and sexually harassed not just outside but also inside their homes.[2] With every year passing by, the rape cases are rising.

Abuse and harassment are not just outside the houses of the women rather its inside the closed doors as well, reports of martial rape and dowry harassment have become very prominent. Fear of acid attacks, abuse, kidnap, eve teasing, cat calling, being followed and stalked etc., still prevail in this country. It is rather pathetic to say that a female infant isn’t safe from the clutches of the dark side of the society. It is such a humiliation to victims which leads to depression and the suicide. There have been many dreadful events that took place in India like the Nirbhaya case. Though justice was served but amidst that India lost a daughter. There are many laws passed in order to curb such things like Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929, Hindu Marriage Act 1955, Dowry Prohibition Act 1961, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1886, Indian Divorce Act 1969, Equal Remuneration Act 1976, Prohibition of Sex Selection Act 1994, Protection of women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 and Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Place Act 2013 etc.[3] To tell what is more pathetic is that how the crime rate has gone up during the pandemic. NCW data shows that crime against women increased during this course of time; it was higher than the number of crimes reported by women in the last ten years. Some evidence shows that the crime rate against women went up by around 131% in May last year. [4] The inability to control crimes against women even when the laws for controlling such crimes are in operation is quite disappointing and embarrassing.

India is still very much patriarch in nature and male dominance is prevalent. Further, women are objectified which fuels crimes against them. Also, the system is not on point. A molester is not immediately punished for his doings and sadly, there are cases where they get away with what they have done, this reduces the strictness of the system and probably it becomes a disadvantage as they are not scared of their own doings. Immediate punishment would put a hint of terror and prevent people from doing so. Also, women in rural areas are extremely suppressed because they are raised with the thought that men have the ultimate superiority and her husband is her only savior. There are instances where the husband would be abusing his wife everyday and she would not raise voice against it because it has been put into their head that it is bad. Women are taught that marriage and kids are ultimate goals of their life.

Women have been denied the opportunity to grow most of the times, but the ones who got a chance have always made our country proud like Kalpana Chawla, P.V. Sindhu, Sudha Murthy and there are many more prominent female figures in all the fields. There could have been more only if more women were given a chance to grow and learn.

The situation of the crime against women is quite serious. However, the voices are being strengthened for putting forth the demands of the women. They are being raised by various sectors including women's groups, academics, students, the media, and political parties. The paternalistic approach of looking at the demands of the women results in denial of access to the public space. For securing the conditions of equality, the interferences should be made in a way that could break the systems which are endorsing patriarchy.

To improve the situation, significant changes, must be brought like a smart policing system that will assure better and effective implementation of the policies. The judiciary must be quick to take actions. Delay will only worsen the situation, and also there must be strict surveillance towards the education of girls and prevention of child marriage. Their family members have to be educated regarding how important education is for their daughter. Security for women needs to be increased. In night, special team can be assigned with task to ensure that every woman in every part of the country is safe at night. Sex education is also very vital for young girls as they are the women of the future. Self-defense should be implemented as a part of curriculum in all schools. Stereotypical and orthodox thoughts must be changed.

Honestly, we could go on and on about women security because there are so many pages to it and could list down suggestions and solutions but that would not bring a change. What is required is the change in the society. More practical steps need to be taken and voice needs to be raised. It is the time that we stop these heinous crimes against women, because if not now then when?

References:

[1] Smriti Mishra, Women Safety in India – Concern and Challenges, PSCNOTES (Apr. 4, 2021), https://pscnotes.in/women-safety-in-india-concern-and-challanges/. [2] Mishra, supra note 1. [3] Karan Kapoor, Safety of Women in India Essay for Students, UPSC BUDDY (Dec. 10, 2020), https://upscbuddy.com/women-safety-in-india/. [4] Tanu Priya, Why Do I Not Feel Safe As A Woman In This Country?, SHETHEPEOPLE (Nov. 1, 2021), https://www.shethepeople.tv/personal-stories/women-safety-in-india-tanu-priya/.