LIVING DANGEROUSLY

It's the fastest growing crime in India. New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have been in the news for multiple rape cases in the last Month. A lot of noise is being generated about the rising rape cases in our country specially in Delhi and UP. Though the statistics suggests the dubious distinction of the ''rape state'' has gone to Madhya Pradesh. It has reported the highest number of rape cases as per The National Crime Records Bureau's publication. As an embarrassed government gets ready to enact tougher rape laws, the victims continue to face an insensitive police and criminal justice system.
The reasons for this sudden increase in rape is a complex mix of migration and growing urbanization, shrinking spaces in cities and the high visibility of women outside their homes. Lack of value-based education, dwindling healthy social relationships, and easy access to vulgar pornography are some of the reasons cited by the experts. However, law enforcement agencies argue that actual rape cases haven't increased substantially, what has is their reportage. And in any case since 80 per cent of the accused are known to the victims, it's a crime virtually not preventable. Not only that, the rate of conviction of rapists is also insignificant. Put together, these factors create a lethal combination that encourages rape, for the fear of being caught and punished is insignificant while the chances of getting away with the crime are very high.

India's booming economy has brought sweeping social change in our culture. The number of women in the workforce has roughly doubled in the past 15 years. There has been an explosive clash between the rapidly modernizing city and the embattled, conservative village culture upon which the cities increasingly encroaches. A Thomson Reuters Foundation global poll named India as the fourth most dangerous place for women in the world, after Afghanistan, Congo and Pakistan. It is about women’s lack of choices in general. Unlike Afghanistan, Congo or Somalia (fifth on the shame list), India is not war-torn. It is just violent towards its women through deeply entrenched social and cultural conditions. Apart from rape, murders, dowry deaths, honour killings and various forms of domestic abuse, our failure to check female infanticide and foeticide, or trafficking of women, or to provide women adequate healthcare and education have clinched our place in the top rung of the shame list.
The rising rape cases have created some ripple in the urban women resulting in the creation of a “Besharmi Morcha” in Delhi. This group proposes a “Slut Walk” an international street protest by women. It is as a march against sexual violence and opposition to the general belief that a woman’s indecent dressing promotes rape. But let’s not lose perspective. The Slut Walk is not a movement to empower women in India. It is more an urban & elite class protest. It is like polishing a door knob when you don’t have a door, or even a roof over your head. Me-too feminism plucked from countries where women’s rights and gender equality is treasured doesn’t work for India, where women lack basic human rights. But this does not make it irrelevant. Feminism needs all kinds of movements and forms of protest. If calling it Slut Walk gets people to notice the protest and if it starts discussion and debates to bring in changes in perception then let the ‘Slutty Savitries’ protest.