CRUSHED DIGNITY UNDER EVIL FEET

Through today’s post, I am going to tell you two recently reported stories of horrifying crimes against women. Both stories are interrelated in terms of sexual violence and fraud. Though these are the stories from India, but at stake is honour across the globe. It is not acceptable anywhere, to put women through wrongful treatment, and this needs to be discussed at a broader platform. The first incident is about a girl of 22 years, who was gang raped by 8 men. Of these men, one was acquainted with her, and the remaining were his friends. The victim had the mettle to call the control room and tell them the car number of accused. One of the men, one has been detained. The unfortunate part is that it not only abused a woman’s dignity and honor but also brought bad fame to a pure relation called ‘friendship’. She was misled by someone she trusted, who claimed that he was taking her to meet his girlfriend. 

In the second case, a girl was asleep at home, when the watchman made his way in and attempted to rape her. The girl put up a brave fight, but sadly lost her life in self-defence. It was a case of abject perversion and lust that took the life of the 25 years-old - a law graduate and a national level swimmer. 

Both of these are extremely inhumane acts for mere pleasure. A woman is not an object of pleasure. Each one of us read and listen to such news on a regular basis, but we often tend to forget them, silently sending a prayer of gratitude that it did not happen to a loved one. Does this mean that we will react only when it is someone we know? Being abused undermines virtually every aspect of a woman’s life—her physical and mental health, her ability to work, her relationships with children, family members and friends, her self-efficacy and her fundamental sense of self-worth. Sometimes her attempts to cope with abuse, for example, through the use of drugs or alcohol, create additional problems. Past incidences couldn’t be prevented but at least we can try in future to do the same. Unscrupulous men often show such signs before, be alert in identifying them so that precautions can be taken. After all, precaution is any day better than abuse. 

Carry pepper-spray along if going to any unknown area or keep a phone handy with emergency numbers on speed dial. Don’t walk alone on lonely streets.
Written by Aakshi Kalra