RAPE CULTURE IN INDIA

 Rape is the fourth most common crime against women in india. On an average almost 80 cases of rape are registered which means one woman is raped every 15 minutes. India, thus, has been called "the most dangerous country for women" by many human rights activists. We have a patriarchal society , which gives more importance to men. Women are usually considered second-class citizens. This is embedded in the minds of children at a very young age.  A girl's wishes and her opinions are not considered as important as that of a boy's. The female child learns to be subservient from the beginning. Data shows that 93 % of all rapes in India are perpetrated by people known to the victim. These could be family members, friends, neighbors, employers, and even online friends. In our country, there is a typical culture of violence. In rural areas the men believe that girls in Western clothes are immoral, and that they can be harassed because they are asking for it. These men have seen violence against the women in their household since childhood which basically teaches them and encourages the idea of women being weak and fragile and the right of men to do whatever they want to do with women.

 Rape is a non-bailable offense in the Indian penal code but people do get bail because of a lack of evidence in many cases. The accused are often sheltered by police, or politicians, or even lawyers. India is a developing country. We call the earth our mother and chant Bharat Mata ki Jai. All of this happens in a country whose daughters themselves are not safe and fear being abused, raped and killed every night outside their houses or inside. In our society, a woman is seen as a sexual object and as a inferior gender. When a woman reports sexual abuse or harassment , the common question asked is "what kind of clothes was she wearing?"   There is no problem in the clothes the woman wears. A woman in a saree and burkha is also raped, so clothes is not the issue but the mindset of people is.  A woman should have the freedom to wear what she likes and what she's comfortable wearing. She shouldn't always have to cover herself up so that she is not sexually harassed or abused. People have to stop questioning other people's clothes and start questioning people's thinking. 

Because of lack of sex education, and the stigma that revolves around openly talking about sex and issues related it, hundreds of women get raped and abused because young boys are not taught to behave in a certain way from a young age. We have a very hush- hush way of talking about sex, thus young children are curious and intrigued about it and are often misguided. They are not taught about consent and controlling their sexual needs. When a rape is reported, the victim is often portrayed as the offender. She and her family have to live in shame. Because of this 99% of rape cases in India go unreported  Women are  afraid of reporting as they are are labelled as attention seeking, her clothes are questioned , and is character assassinated and is the one who is blamed. Instead of being brought justice she is held responsible and is highly humiliated. 

India is great nation with a very rich and diverse culture. Our culture has always taught us to respect women as our mythology represents women as goddesses. The rapists of several girls are still out there roaming freely whereas that girl is being made to sit at home to avoid more shaming. It took almost 8 years for the government to bring justice to Nirbhaya, another “daughter” of India who met her death after being raped. This is just one example but there are countless more. These girls keep dying and the number of rapists keep increasing. Our judicial system has to improve and accelerate ways in which we punish and hold these rapists responsible for their crimes. 75% of the rapists get to walk free even after getting convicted. 

Not all men are rapists. It is a fact. There are a lot of men who respect women but then there are also these rapists who believe that they own a women's body. Therefore, not every man is a part of the problem, but every man can be a part of the solution . Let's all bring attention to all those pending cases of rape in the court who don't get the media's attention. This rape culture has to stop. Let's give women the freedom they deserve. 

BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION AND NOT THE PROBLEM.....