"NEED TO CHANGE MINDSET OF MEN"
Not much has changed for the girl-child since Independence. Crimes like rape, molestation and dowry deaths are on the rise. Steps need to be taken to prevent such acts .
Crime against women has become a big problem in the country today. Unfortunately, the more the media reports about such crime, the more cases come to light. The way things are going, at present, it appears the situation is totally out of control and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. But due to the awareness, women have started taking precautions. They carry pepper sprays in their bags and are very careful with whom they befriend.
I don’t think that much has changed for the girl-child since Independence — whether it is big cities or villages, educated or uneducated class. Even though the Government has introduced many schemes and given facilities to stop female foeticide, prevent child marriage and spread awareness that daughters, too, need to be educated, not much has changed for the women. Education plays a huge role in changing the mindset of the people. Superstition, old beliefs and poverty continues to take its toll on the girls. Getting rid of one more mouth to feed has become a norm when it comes to women. We all know that a daughter cares more for the parents as compared to the son. She is more concerned about their well-being and is emotionally more attached to the parents.
Rape, molestation and wife beating, I believe, is a man’s way of taking out his frustration. Only an insecure man will take to a heinous crime against a woman just to his manhood and superiority. A secure and confident man will never stoop to such levels. A man who can’t give respect to a woman deserves the worst kind of punishment. I believe that the mental harassment either by husband or by parents for any reason is worse than the physical abuse that a woman is subjected to. And that too because she is financially dependent on her husband. The fault lies in the up-bringing of the daughter. It is time that daughters are brought up in the same manner as sons.
During my time, daughters were taught to be submissive, giving and patient. To blame the Government for all the problems that ail our society is not correct. After all the Government can’t force its choice on the girls that she needs to study and not marry. After all we are a democratic country. The only option available for the Government is to introduce the harshest punishment for even the smallest crime against a woman. If strict actions are taken and courts expedient the trial, half the problems would be taken care of.
But in a nation where criminals like Kasab are still Government’s guest how can one expect that rapists and people charged with dowry death will be be punished overnight? It is impossible for a rape victim not to be ashamed in the court while being cross-examined. Women are harassed and made fun of by the very people who are supposed to protect them. It is sad that the mindset of the men can’t be changed. They have seen their mothers and sisters being harassed. For them, it is a way of life. Women are supposed to be like sponges who soak up everything without reacting.
It is time that we changed the way we treat our women. A society that can’t respect its women can’t progress.
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