Page 168 - Failure to Triumph - Journey of A Student

A very good morning to all of you. I have chosen to speak on Crime Against Women in India. I will
be covering this topic in four parts namely, introduction, recent developments, the way ahead and
conclusion.

Crime against women has taken varied forms. These include female feticide, dowry death, eve
teasing, molestation, work place abuse, wife beating and rape. Domestic violence, where women are
subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment, is common in India. Violence and abuse, and sometimes

even murder in the name of dowry are prevalent. Women are sometimes harassed in offices, public
places, during travel etc. Unfortunately, most of these cases go unnoticed as nobody bothers to
complain. This is due to social stigma, corrupt police and faulty judicial system. Violence against
women had tacit approval of the society world over because men cannot accept women as equals and
try to subjugate them in every sphere. Even in a developed society like the US, the crime statistics
against women are alarming.

In India, gradually women are coming out of the four walls of their homes. They are now
shouldering both domestic and work area responsibilities. Indian women have gradually moved to

fields that were traditionally considered to be male domain, for instance, the defence services. There
is an increasing pressure on the armed forces to allow them in the fighting arms, and it is only a matter
of time before this is done. India was proud to have its first woman President in Smt. Pratibha Patil.
All this is indicative of the fact that Indian women are getting empowered. The government has taken
several measures to bring women in the mainstream by providing reservations for women in many

fields. It has provided reservation in electoral politics where each party is required to field 33%
women candidates. While all this may give us a rosy picture, a lot needs to be done still. As recent as
in 2009, the Shri Ram Sena Activists dragged women from a pub and manhandled them but nothing
really happened to the culprits. Newspapers are full of reports of crime against women and the
society is still being a mute spectator.

The only way ahead in my opinion is that we have to begin by changing our image of women as a
domesticated being. If we want to make society safer for women then our approach has to be
multifaceted. We have to tackle the issue from the social, legal and procedural point of view. We need

to change our attitude towards women. Legally also, there are shortcomings in the law, which need to
be addressed. The police have to work in close cooperation with social groups and should be ready
to cooperate. The police must also build an image of a trustworthy force. Female literacy needs to
increase. Adding new laws have not solved any of our problems. We need a social awakening which
has to be brought about by the people themselves. The media should also play an important role in
making people aware of the rules.

To conclude, I would like to say that while Indian women are coming of age, we have a long way

to go in empowering them in the true sense. I sincerely hope that in times to come, women in India
will be able to live with dignity and respect in our society.

Thank you.