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发帖数: 3978 | 1 http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/19/opinion/india-rape-anger-menon/in
This week, a 23-year-old woman, accompanied by a male friend, boarded a bus
on a busy road in the capital at 9 p.m., only to be brutally raped by a
group of men. She was then savagely beaten, stripped and thrown onto the
road. The girl and her friend, who was attacked for trying to protect her,
were returning home after watching a movie. She is battling for life in
hospital, according to her doctors.
India's rising rape cases -- one every 22 minutes, according to the National
Crime Records Bureau -- betray what is wrong with society.
Millions of Indians continue to believe that women invite trouble on
themselves by being careless. Mothers often chide daughters for wearing
provocative clothing, in most cases a sleeveless garment or a pair of hip-
hugging jeans.
In cities such as New Delhi, easily the most-policed state in the country,
few women will take public or private transport unescorted after nightfall.
More than 600 rape cases have been reported in New Delhi alone this year,
according to government records.
Worse still, many more go unreported because a large number feel insecure
about reporting rape or even sexual harassment to lawmakers, either because
they are not taken seriously or because in several cases the protectors have
turned perpetrators.
Earlier this month, a girl who was raped in her village by four men, was
then allegedly raped by a police officer who was handling her case,
according to medical examiners. She had to be rescued by a police team that
raided the hotel where she was being held.
The incident happened in Uttar Pradesh, which borders Delhi.
The truth is, when most women report sexual harassment in India's cities,
towns and villages, they are typically met with a shrug.
Around the same time in Punjab, another northern state, an officer who was
protecting his daughter against sexual harassment -- locally referred to as
"Eve teasing" -- was shot dead in public view, allegedly by a local
political party member who was troubling her.
The truth is, when most women report sexual harassment in India's cities,
towns and villages, they are typically met with a shrug. Slowly, but firmly,
the onus of remaining safe seems to have shifted to women, instead of being
shared by society and law-keepers.
At a protest rally held in the city on Tuesday, when women waved placards
saying: "Don't teach me what to wear, teach men not to rape," it was meant
as a wake-up call for society, for mothers and fathers, for law-keepers as
well as lawmakers. Other posters saying: "Don't get raped," with words
crossed out to read: "Don't rape," were a chilling reminder of how
vulnerable and isolated women feel in India.
India's apparent nonchalance towards sexual harassment has escalated into a
major crisis. And we're not just talking about the odd sly remark or attempt
to grope a woman but far more serious assaults. India's misplaced tolerance
has helped this cascade into a brutal, violent menace. |
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