A survey, carried out across 13 states with a sample size of 12,447, revealed that 53.22 per cent of the children reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse with Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, and Delhi reported the highest percentage of such incidents. In 50 per cent of child abuse cases, the abusers were known to the child or were in a position of trust and responsibility and most of the children did not report the matter to anyone. Over 50 per cent of children were subjected to one or the other form of physical abuse and more boys than girls were abused physically. The first-ever survey on child abuse in the country disclosed that nearly 65 per cent of schoolchildren reported facing corporal punishment — beatings by teachers — mostly in the government schools. Of children physically abused in families, in 88.6 per cent of the cases, it was the parents who were the perpetrators. More than 50 per cent had been sexually abused in ways that ranged from severe such as rape or fondling — to milder forms of molestation that included forcible kissing. When it comes to emotional abuse, every second child was subjected to emotional assault and in 83 per cent of the cases, the parents were the abusers.
Now tell me, how can one think of a secured nation or society for young lives in India?? Narendra Modi, as the PM campaigner, promised Beti Bachao and protection for a woman with the slogan “Band Karo Nari Par Var.” However, it has failed on all these aspects. Keeping the selfish and ruthless politics aside, even we the people could not do much to change the scenario.
Actually, in recent years, the Indian people, Indian culture, and environment has undergone a drastic and vertical transformation in every aspect of life whether it may be sociological, philosophical, biological, psychological, or economical, but when sudden changes to this extent is observed in the traditional and conservative society as India is, the situation found is more hard-hitting. Sometimes incapability to withstand with ancient traditions like high prestige issues, egoistic behaviour, male dominance, dowry etc. seems hard to accept and a clever and intelligent move to come up with such a situation is sometimes found in fake emotional involvement which after its conclusion results into a revengeful act of rape. Actually, in traditional countries like India, sex is considered as a prime taboo whose ill effect is the psychological trauma which victim feels after rape. In most of the cases, victims are not offended but the psychological trauma and ill-treatment from their nearby personals make them feel offended thousand times more than the people in developed or liberated countries where this act of rape is just considered a little more than being robbed or molested, which positively helps a victim to overcome the situation.
The only solution can be to understand and flow with the pace of change and try not to adopt and define the primal characters of the western world in our words and benefits, as our society is definitely not going to adopt western intellect, tools and techniques with that ease but instant follow of trade and traditions like openness, free-living, financial liberty, etc. can lead us to a situation of tug of war where many severe consequences may result just in order to overcome the lacuna developed because of mismatch of western culture in the Indian situations.
Another major reason is that the women have started to speak up. They have started to come forward and report the rape and molestation attempts they have faced with enough guts. It is not that earlier there were lesser rape attempts, but women wouldn’t come up and report them. However, the most important change that India really needs is a change in society’s perception of women, a change that involves viewing women as equals to men, neither goddesses nor sex objects.
One of the most prominent reasons due to which developing countries like India are facing this problem with this intensity is the traditional, conservative, and highly restricted outlook of both males and females in all sections of life — majorly when egos of both men and women contradict each other. Also the class division of Indian society in recent years into many subclasses (particularly on economic criteria) also has provided an enhancing drift to narrow minded, conservative people here who are obviously and naturally highly egoistic and self-centric person who adopt this act as a revenge from their “clever and cunning” (in their view) counterparts. This is more easily accepted when they find it as an answer “in a language in which they usually play” to get their easy cup of cake where they have to put tremendous efforts sometimes. The problem also lies in the mentality of the patriarchal Indian society wherein a woman is considered inferior to men in society. It lies in the thought that a man has the right to rule over the body, mind, and soul of a woman; that a woman is incomplete without a man. It lies in the thought that a woman dressed “provocatively” wants to be raped. A woman going out to discotheques and pubs, drinking, smoking or going out with a gang of boys is considered to be an easy catch. She is labelled to be characterless, “A Bad woman”, and is considered to be giving an “invitation to rape”. The question arises in the male minds is “She is a woman. How can she?” On parallel lines, a man dressed fashionably is cool. This patriarchal mentality itself is the main cause of the increasing rape scenario. The root of all causes lies in this cheap mentality. Of course, it is not true for all sectors of the Indian society and cannot be generalised, but it stands true for the majority of the cases. One of the most strong reasons for which India is evidenced, executed and also propaganda for increasing rape cases in India is what India has transformed into a relatively short period of time in all spheres of life and also it is possible to adopt these sudden changes by the people who are still attached to Indian traditional culture, myths, and lifestyle?
No doubt rape is the biggest and most harassing act performed by males on females (generally) but that too also demands some questions to think about that why this problem is taken with such a magnitude in the Indian society. It is one of the most burning, hard-hitting, and sensitive social problem existing in developing India which demands a high level of comprehension, observations, and practical outlook to find its solution which majorly includes what and how India has transformed from what in the last 20 to 25 years and the most important, how it has affected the huge sub-classified socially variant people existing in Indian culture and space. It should be done not only keeping a sympathising outlook for the victims of such a deed but also as an attempt to understand the psychology and condition which a “culprit” usually undergoes which makes him so offensive to perform this act.
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