This week, the SoroptiVoice blog will feature two posts from Soroptimists in India, reacting to the terrible gang-rape and murder of a young woman in Delhi, which has caused outrage across India and the world. Today’s blog is by Annette Mascarenhas, President and Councillor of the National Association of Soroptimist International of India.
The social fabric of a progressive civilization is dependent upon the extent of empowerment of women in the society. Education and economic empowerment have enabled to some extent, for Indian women to stride confidently into 21st Century. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. There is a majority population of women still with little or no access to education, economic independence and who are still struggling to achieve their fullest potential. Besides, many of them are subject to atrocities.
What angers us is that in India, a pantheon of female deities are worshipped and glorified but many Indian women are brutally stripped of their basic rights and our existence has been in jeopardy for centuries.
Six decades after independence our society is still orthodox and expects women to juggle between work, family responsibilities and not to challenge the social order established a millennia ago. The status of women of India is unsatisfactory and compares very poorly with many of other countries.
The Guardian newspaper has posted a question “Of all G-20 Nations, India has been labeled as the worst place to be a woman but how is it possible in a country that prides itself as being the world’s largest democracy?”
The story of Damini/Nirbhaya and atrocities against women in India exposed.
The year 2012 ended with a horrific gang rape and tragic end to a young girl’s life in Delhi. It stunned the entire nation. A united India was stirred into action to make it loud and clear – “Enough Is Enough”.
The heinous crime inflicted on a 23 years old physiotherapist who boarded a bus at 9.00 pm in Delhi along with a male friend has exacerbated our perceptions and fears. She was brutally gang-raped, trashed and forcibly violated with an iron rod into her body, gouging her intestines. They dumped her profusely bleeding naked body along with her friends out of the bus and attempted to trample her under the bus. It is incomprehensible how these six hoodlums could stoop to such cruelty and depravity. Apparently the most gruesome of acts was committed by the juvenile among them.
The victim and the rape–killers came from the same socio-economic background. The brave heart under took to improve herself and her family’s condition by working and studying diligently and armed herself with a professional degree. Her tormentors, on the other hand, embraced a career in freelance crimes and behaved in a barbaric and lawless manner.
The brave heart who was forced to go through degradation, humiliation and intense suffering finally succumbed to her injuries for no fault of hers. This budding rose was trampled by those savages, her heart rendering plea – “Mummy I want to live!” and her courageous and fearless fight has singed our hearts and minds.
It is but legitimate that it has outraged and angered the entire nation who came out in droves and stood as one, against this barbaric act. The spontaneous demonstration of solidarity by a sea of people young and old, on the streets of India with placards, candle light vigils, online messages and petitions and thanks to media who has opened our eyes to the atrocities committed against women and children through length and breadth of India has united us together to vociferously demand “Justice, Change & Accountability” and want it “NOW”.
This is one of the world’s largest protests against rapes and sexual violence. And it has caught the attention of the whole world. It is a fact that India is a young nation and all revolutions begin with young people. India’s youth were shocked and terrified that the victim could have been anyone of them.
It was Mahatma Gandhi who said, “One should treat daughters and sons in a footing in perfect equality. For both are God’s gifts. They have equal rights to love and equally necessary to keep the world going”.
The Delhi gang rape was ghastly but it is not the only one. Indeed it has opened a Pandora’s box. There have been others before that are equally gruesome and there have been more since. Every day, our media wakes us up to countless number of incidents involving women and girls including minors, who are victims of unabated horrific acts of harassment, eve-teasing, molestation, domestic violence, cruelty, ghastly crimes of rapes, murders, burning, acid attacks, suicides, girl trafficking, honor killing, caste victimisation, atrocities against indigenous and tribal communities. Very few cases are made public especially when heinous rapes are committed by family members, relatives, neighbours, servants, bosses, politicians, police or armed forces. But slowly victims are coming out of their closets and sharing their sufferings.
When we talk of sexual violence we have to address the discrimination that began before birth with sex selective abortions and other related issues. sex discrimination has not been eliminated nor even decreased. The worsening decline in sex ratio in 0-6 years group tells us a devastating story of the rising incidences of female feticide and infanticide. Since the technology of sex determination arrived, sex selective abortions have unleashed a saga of horror. The underprivileged that have no access to technology use even more drastic methods. Girls are forced to do manual labour instead of being educated. 39 million missing women of India were systematically destroyed. Girls suffering from malnutrition have resulted in stunted growth, under weight and even death. The inequities of early marriage, early and high level of pregnancy of child brides and under nourished mothers, extreme poverty and no proper health care are some of the causes. Job discrimination and harassment are rampant. 228,650 crimes against women were registered in 2011. Out of these, 14.7% in cities and 85.3% in rural areas. 1/3 of the legislators have criminal cases against them. Besides there are many more cases unregistered.
Soroptimists in India – our progress and call to action
38 years ago, the 1st Soroptimist International Club was chartered in Bandra, Mumbai. Today we have 17 clubs in India. In the past the clubs in India had conducted awareness programs on various issues such as education, health, women’s rights, violence against women, female feticide, infanticide, other related issues and implemented projects for girl child education. Also, literacy classes for underprivileged, income generating activities, medical camps, cancer check-ups, nutrition programs, donating beds to cancer hospice, medical equipment to hospitals, sanitary projects like building toilet blocks and water project in villages, low cost sanitary towel project etc. In the words of Mother Theresa, “It may be a drop in the ocean but every drop is important to make the ocean”.
The long efforts to upgrade the status of Indian women and lead them to achieve self definition and financial independence seems to have been washed away in the light of social, political, cultural attitudes, mindsets and governance that regards women as sex objects.
The U.N. has condemned India’s abysmal record of protecting of women and girls as “Female Genocide”.
It is the failure of the entire spectrum – medieval, feudal and patriarchal mind sets, attitudes of society, political class, police force, judicial system, health care facilities, out dated technology, lack of infrastructure, lack of education, lack of counseling centers, lack of self defence training programs, poverty etc. The urgent need is sweeping changes across the spectrum.
The problem is the Indian male. Without changing his mindset there can be no gender equality. He still treats women as a thing of pleasure and to do his chores. His chauvinism has not lessened over the years based upon the remarks made by some representatives and legislators soon after the gang rape.
Soroptimists believe that “Human Rights are Women’s Rights & Women’s Rights are Human Rights”. The violation of human rights curtails the progress of women in a modern world.
Soroptimists throughout India were greatly appalled and to register our anger and depth of agony have galvanized into action by organizing activities to show our solidarity and stop violence against women. Some of the clubs have held Peace Marches. I have sent suggestions to fast track change, justice and accountability on social, legal and cultural issues concerning violence against women to Justice Verma Commission as suggested by the Government of India.
The fight for women’s rights is a long and arduous journey and requires patience, courage and sacrifice but I have written and urged the government to take immediate steps to ensure that women in India are protected by the government and not violated by authorities in the name of government, by terrifying groups and individuals. I have also written to the President and Prime Minister of India and state leaders, for fast track justice in the case of the gang raped and murdered brave heart and for speedy action to eliminate rape and violence against women. For we believe in the words of Mahatma Gandhi that “You may never know what results may come out of your action, but if you do nothing, there will be no results”.
Soroptimists endorse the statements made by Ban Ki Moon “Violence against women must never be accepted, never excused, never tolerated. Every girl has a right to the respected, valued and protected”. If you want to make the world safe for women zero tolerance is the only way whether it is petty, minor and major crimes.
We call upon all women to awake, arise & act. Do not give up so that all women may walk with their heads held high and without fear. For it’s a universal issue. The flames ignited by Nirbhaya/Damini will continue to blaze till every woman attains justice, equality and respect and is able to achieve her economic, political and social goals.