TRANSFORMING SOCIETAL ATTITUDE TOWARDS WOMEN

Many cases of rape are never reported because of the consequent societal implications. What is required is social reform at the level of the family unit

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OF all crimes, rape is the most heinous. The nation's conscience is deeply disturbed by its frequency. Apart from this, the frequency of crime against women is also a matter of national shame.

In the past, such incidents were seldom reported. Reporting these crimes has created awareness that such barbaric acts of criminality must be investigated swiftly and dealt with expeditiously.

Instances of child rape alone soared by 96 percent from 2016 to 2022. In 2016, 19,765 cases were reported while in 2017, it was 27,616.

This number increased to 36,381 in 2021. In 2022, it stood at 38,911. In 2021 alone, India lodged 49 offences against women per hour. This is probably because of higher reporting and enhanced awareness about the reporting mechanism. Greater accessibility through help-lines and agencies in aid of justice for victims has also helped. Families of the victims now have an avenue to ensure such criminals are brought to book.

Rape is symptomatic of many things. It is symptomatic of a desire to dominate and overpower, a negative human attribute. What does the above data suggest about our society? That it is misogynistic to the extreme; that women are objects of both pleasure and derision; that each insensitive male believes he can get away with it.

This emerges from our embedded cultural milieu in which girls have a secondary place in our families. I am not talking about enlightened households that embrace liberal traditions.

But even there, we find on many occasions an element of discrimination when it comes to allowing them to discover and realise their dreams as an equal participant in society.