Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Are we really that sick?

Another sensational rape, and a series of stories and scathing attack on the police, who this time could have caught the criminals, but didn't really wake up to it. Residents of Delhi have accepted the fact that this city is not safe for women, especially after the sun goes down. OK.

What angers me most is the reaction from a large part of the population that wants girls to behave. This sickens me. They do this in good faith not knowing that they inadvertently transfer the blame on the victim.

Sample some of the reactions. Why did they step out of home at 2 am? These days, girls wear shorts and short skirts and move out. They openly hug and kiss boys.

Basically women invite rape, huh?

One friend, who's otherwise a very sane, secular and accommodative man, went on to say that many girls from Northeast have been found soliciting in that area and that this too may be borne out of confusion (Read: the rapists thought the girls were out to have fun). How sad! I felt like hitting him but just told him to shut his trap.

Because I know he's not saying it with any malice. It's the prejudice he's been fed for ages and his totally isolated experiences compounded by maybe limited knowledge.

Are we getting weirder? Or just Shiv Sena has an increasing vote bank in Delhi.

Recently, a policeman raped a student in Mumbai, and some politicians went on record saying girls must not wear “provocative” clothes.

Rapists don’t choose their targets based on what she is wearing. So morons, shut your traps.

1 comment:

Kamakaze said...

Exactly! And we go around tomtomming our economic achievements and IT expertise around the world. We love to call India a superpower, one with nukes. It's a long way to civilisation for the oldest civilisation (some claim). I loathe self-flagellation, but have to say we our social development has been pathetic at best.
P.S. The solution for Delhi's unsafe-for-women is not keeping them safe, but to exposing them. If a large number of women are out in the evenings and late at night, the rapists-in-waiting will get comfortable with their existence.
We need shops open till late, we need more people out till late.
I don't think the Mumbai man is better than the Delhi man is. But they don't dare tease a woman because there are many women around to catch him by the collar. The Mumbai man has got used to travelling, working, toiling and suffering, co-existing with women. He is to women being more than just objects for sexual gratification. The Delhi one is yet to.