Skip to main content

It is pathetic that support is given to murderers and rapists by organisations, politicians and lawyers

By Sheshu Babu*
Atrocities on women including rapes and murders have been discussed and debated at length. Also, violence on girls and girl- child have been highlighted many times. But, these days, girls below teen age are not only raped and tortured for days but also killed in a most grotesque way. Any word, whether ' terrible ' or ' horrific ' sounds euphemistic in describing these cold-blooded murders. Even more pathetic is the support given to these murderers by organisations, politicians and lawyers making police system, which is already inefficient, ineffective.

Kathua and after

Even as Asifa case has gained prominence and demands to punish culprits are on the rise, there are reports of a brutally raped and tortured body of a minor girl aged about 10 was found in Surat, Gujarat (April 14, 2018, kracktivist.org) . Another girl aged about 9 or 10 was mutilated and the body was found near Rohtak, Haryana (April 16, 2018, timesofindia.indiatimes.com) . These are few cases reported. There may be others which are not reported. Even disabled girls are not spared. According to a report in mumbaimirrror.indiatimes.com (April 15, 2018), by Rahi Gaikward ,almost all deaf and mute girls at Karjat School were sexually abused. The caretaker was arrested on the complaints. The girls could communicate through sign language.

Crimes

The crimes against women and girls are horrendous. In Congo, as young as six months old babies have been raped by army according to a report by Marianne Schnall, women media center (February 6, 2009, www.alternet.org) . Nazi Germany had experienced sexual assaults on women and girls during world war. All over the world, women and girls have been sexually abused during wars. Around 120 million girls ( slightly more than 1 in 10) experience sexual assaults or forced intercourse according to UNICEF (2014) report published in www.unwomen.org (“Facts and figures: Ending violence against women”). About 35% of women worldwide experienced sexual or physical assaults.

Reasons

While women are vulnerable, girls, especially those below sixteen years, are more fragile and vulnerable. They have little or no awareness of how to tackle violence. Male hegemony makes girls indefensible and they are forced to succumb. If they raise voice, they are either killed on the spot or taken to remote places and murdered. These days, women and girls reporting assaults has increased though it is still low. To erase any chance of being caught, girls are being killed by the rapists. They fulfill their sadistic desires as long as they wish and murder the helpless girls in order to escape punishment. Many are not even charged with sexual assaults despite legal provisions.

Shame

These incidents are a shame to humanity and reflect the rising trend of cannibalism trait in males. These incidents are hallmark of a regressive archaic society. No amount of condemnation is enough to deplore such acts of violent atrocities.

Future

The present situation is very sad. One is moved to tears when one comes to know of such atrocities. The civil society must start to find measures for stopping the assaults on a war- footing. Male chauvinism should be eradicated. Most of these crimes are related with religious hatred. The women and girls fall aprey to religious bigotry.
Any hate - national or international - has vast impact on women lives, specially girls under nineteen or twenty. They become prime targets. The politicians use the situation to spill venom into society. They assist in atrocities continue to achieve their goals. Many leaders have brazenly supported Kathua rapist accused and even threatened those who voice against the criminals.
Girls are future of civilization. They must be protected. They are vulnerable section of society. Stringent measures should be taken against eve - teasers, perpetrators of crimes on women or girls and rapists.
Society is at the cross- roads. It is on the brink of disaster. To prevail sanity, male criminals should be punished. Awareness of consequences of such crimes must increase at the earliest.
---

*Writer from anywhere and everywhere. Whenever the writer ponders on the question 'Who am I?', he finds some answer in a lyric by Bhupen Hazarika written in Assamese ' Ami ek jajabor':   " I am a gypsy ... The earth has called me her own
And I have forgotten my own home"

Comments

TRENDING

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra*  The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Victim of communal violence, Christians in Manipur want Church leadership to speak up

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  The first eleven days of May 2023 have, in many ways, been a defining period of Indian history! Plenty has happened in a rapid-fire stream of events. Ironically, each one of them are indicators of how crimes and the criminalisation of society has become the ‘new norm’; these include, the May Day rallies with a focus on the four labour codes which are patently against the rights of workers; the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its Annual Report on 1 May stating that conditions for religious freedom in India “continued to worsen in 2022”; the continued protest by the Indian women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar for the expulsion of the chief of the Indian Wrestlers Federation on very serious allegations; the Elections in Karnataka on 10 May (with communalism and corruption as the mainstay); the release of the fake, derogative and insensitive film ‘The Kerala Story’; the release of World Free Press Index on 3 May which places India

Polygamy in India "down" in 45 yrs: Muslims' from 5.7 to 2.55%, Hindus' 5.8 to 1.77%, "common" in SCs, STs

By Rajiv Shah Amidst All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) justifying polygamy, saying it “meets social and moral needs and the provision for it stems from concern and sympathy for women”, facts suggest the the practice is down from 5.7 per cent of Muslim families in 1961 to 2.55 per cent in 2006.

India joining US sponsored trade pillar to hurt Indian farmers, 'promote' GM seeds, food

Counterview Desk  As many as 32 civil society organisations (CSOs), in a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and India joining the trade pillar, have said that its provisions will allow the US to ensure a more favourable regulatory regime “for enhancing its exports of genetically modified (GM) seeds and GM food”, underlining, it will “significantly hurt the livelihoods of Indian farmers.”

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam*  The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

Modi govt 'wholly untrustworthy' on Covid data, censored criticism on pandemic: Lancet

By Rajiv Shah*   One of the world’s most prestigious health journals, brought out from England, has sharply criticised the Narendra Modi government for being “wholly untrustworthy on Covid-19 health data”, stating, the “official government figures place deaths at more than 530 000, while WHO excess death estimates for 2020 and 2021 are near 4·7 million.”

Undermining law, breastfeeding? Businesses 'using' celebrities to promote baby food

By Rajiv Shah*  A report prepared by the top child welfare NGO, Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI), has identified as many as 15 offenders allegedly violating the Indian baby food law, the Infant Milk Substitutes Feeding Bottles, and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 1992, and Amendment Act 2003 (IMS Act), stating, compliance with the law “seems to be dwindling by the day.”

Delhi demolitions for G-20 summit: Whither sabka saath, sabka vikas?, asks NAPM

By Our Representative  Well-known civil rights network, National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), even as expressing solidarity with “thousands of traumatized residents of Tughlakabad and some other bastis in New Delhi whose homes have been demolished and whose lives have been ravaged both prior to as well as in the lead-up to the G-20 Summit”, has said this is in utter disregard to “their minimum well-being and gross violation of their rights.”