From an 8-day old baby to an 80-year old lady,
no woman seems to be safe in India anymore.
Every single day some more statistics get
added into the increasing string of horrific rapes and atrocities committed
against women and children in India as the government first promises then
deliberates and debates over “stronger laws” for protection.
What are we coming to?
Rape is an unforgivable and unjustifiable
crime. Like the three unspeakable spells in Harry Potter, child abuse, rape and
murder are simply unjustifiable. And as a society we must make them so.
Within the first three months of this year
we have heard horrendous stories of the five year old in Delhi
(see, I am squeamish even trying to write any descriptive adjective/s with this!);
stories of a four year old raped in Maharashtra and more and more and more.
Endlessly more. Each getting more gruesome.
These are the reported ones. Every day there are hundreds of
unreported crimes against children and women. Why you may ask – surely everyone
remembers the police slapping an agitator during the reportage of the case of
the 5-year old in Delhi.
With such an attitude amongst the law-keepers of the nation, there is little
chance of people trusting them.
Rape and child abuse are demeaning and
degrading crimes that leave the victim scarred for their entire lives. The
victim of these crimes does not heal even if the perpetrator of such crimes is
arrested, tried and sentenced.
In the ‘80s one of the most reported case
was of Aruna. Aruna was a nurse in KEM hospital in Mumbai. She was engaged to
be married soon. One night as she was walking in the premise of the hospital
(probably going back to her quarters), a ward boy waylaid her. He tied a dog
collar around her throat and raped her. Aruna lost her mind. Literally. The
hospital gave her the best treatment possible, but Aruna remained trapped in
that moment forever. She had no respite. Her engagement broke. The room in the
hospital was the only home she ever knew. The ward boy was sentenced. He went
to prison, completed his term and came back into society to continue his life.
But Aruna had no continuation of life.
Had Jyoti (Nirbhaya’s real name) survived,
she would never be able to eat (her intestines were removed). She would never
be able to have any normal bodily functions. The internal damage was so
profound that she would not be able to do anything all her life by herself. She
would have always needed help. This is only her physical condition. No one knows
what the impact on her mental and emotional state would be.
Is there any real punishment for someone
who does such a thing?
When a child of 5 is abused – does the
abuser even deserve to be heard? Is there any defense?
When a lady of 80 is attacked – can the
attacker have any reason?
When such crimes are increasing on a daily
basis – does the society have any claim to be a “functioning” society?
A country where the President (Pratibha
Patil) grants pardon to criminals (including those considered rarest of rare),
grants pardon to murderers and rapists (of women and children) is a failed
state. The law-makers and the law-keepers have failed monumentally.
India not
only needs stronger laws for protection of children and women; it also needs
better law-keepers. In addition we do not only want laws but extremely firm and
immediate action – else the law would be like having teeth without a bite.
We not only need it and want it – but every
citizen in the country demands a right to safety.