WE just celebrated our 78th Independence Day anniversary on August 15, but are our women really safe? The alarming rise in rape cases in India is becoming a severe threat to the safety of women across the globe.
The brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata on August 9 shows that the issue of rape requires a multifaceted approach that includes prevention, education, and support for survivors and broader societal change. Education should be integrated into the home environment. Parents should teach their children about the importance of mutual respect and boundaries in relationships. Self-defence training should be provided to women to boost their confidence and help them protect themselves in dangerous situations
The legal system should also be strengthened so that clear definitions of penalties for rape are widely known and understood by everyone. Additionally, accessible support centres should be established in every locality, with hotlines to provide immediate assistance. Overcoming such cases requires sustained efforts from all sectors of society. This is not the responsibility of a single entity but of every individual, community, government, and international organisation.
As Indians, we should be ashamed of the atrocities taking place in our country every now and then. In 2012, they didn’t just rape her, they played with her intestines. This was in Delhi, and they named her Nirbhaya. Again in 2017, they didn’t just rape her, they hung her on a tree. This was in Unnao, and they named her Nirbhaya 2.
2019, they didn’t just rape her, they burnt her alive. This was in Hyderabad, and they named her Nirbhaya 3. All through the years, we are doing nothing to stop the atrocities from taking place but just burning candles, blackening our DPs, commenting on a few Facebook pages, and then forgetting the incident within a week.
On August 13, a nurse who worked at a private hospital in Rudrapur (Uttarakhand) was raped and murdered in broad daylight. It’s time to burn the culprits and not the candles. It’s high time for the government to pass a bill for capital punishment for rapists. When currency can be changed overnight, when special sessions can be called to increase the salary of politicians, when Parliament can remain open all night for trust votes, wondering what is delaying the government to pass a stringent law against rape cases.
Women, children and animals are not safe in our country. Our men need to understand how to treat women with dignity. There is an urgent need for comprehensive action to address and prevent rape cases. Castration is the only solution to teach the rapists a lesson for life. It’s a shame that the Kolkata police and Mamata Banerjee, the CM of West Bengal are protecting the criminals (rapists). Laws like those of Saudi Arabia should be introduced in India where the criminal is beheaded, castrated or stoned to death.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Mumbai, India
