Skewed sex ratio spurs violence
Kathua, Unnao, Etah: little chance of such cases decreasing
Arare commodity should logically be considered more valuable, something to be treasured, but as the sex ratio steadily falls, the value of a woman’s dignity and life seems to be decreasing. The recent spate of rapes, especially those of girl children, reveals a viciousness which is shocking. The increase in numbers could be because of increased reporting but the ferocity and frequency suggests deeper reasons. Needed as the death penalty for the rape of children under the age of 12 years is — the government approved an executive order to the effect Sunday— it is unlikely to entirely address the issue.
In large parts of India, there are severe restrictions on normal interactions between the sexes; an ingrained belief in the worthlessness of women; and the easy availability of cheap pornography, conveying a distorted notion of male-female relationships. Studies show that across India, especially in states with a skewed sex ration, women are at greater risk of sexual and other forms of violence from an increasingly frustrated cohort of men that finds it difficult to interact with women normally. The increase in women’s education and their ability to access the job market has also left them open to violence in a patriarchal society, which views this independence as threatening. This explains why many men justify their brutality as owing to the woman being provocatively dressed or out at a time when she should not have been. The increase in the number of child rapes is also because children are much easier targets than adults. In recent months, more such cases have been reported from rural areas and lower economic groups, where there may not be as much awareness of child sexual abuse as there is in urban areas and middle- and higher-income groups.
Finally, the criminal justice system is also riddled with loopholes, from evidence gathering to investigation that many rape cases just fall through the cracks. As optimistic as one would want to be about the new law, it would be unrealistic to expect it to be free of similar deficiencies. It is a start, but needs to be backed by greater awareness, and a social change.