Here is the editorial in today’s(May 15, 2005) “The New Sunday Express”:
Battling rape
“Everyday we read stories on some crime or the other committed against women. Rape is of course the ultimate crime. One cannot make any excuses for rape or the rapist. Which is why one is outraged when a political party actually says that women should avoid dressing provocatively. Otherwise they will invite rape.
“India, which has now taken moral policing very seriously, is possibly the most double-faced country when it comes to ill-treating women. The country’s capital, New Delhi, is a place where no woman can feel safe. Even Mumbai-considered the safest city in the country-had its reputation tarnished when a policeman raped a young woman inside the police post recently. Eve-teasing too is rampant in large and small cities. Our men still tend to behave as though they have never seen a woman before when they confront them in public places.
“The statistics are horrendous. According to women’s groups, two women are raped every hour in India. In spite of some recent high-profile cases, most rapists go scot-free. Again, who are the victims? They are mostly maidservants, migrant labourers, and those who are under-privileged and cannot protest. So what has wearing provocative clothing got to do with rape? Look at most working women standing in the bus stops or taking trains in the metros. They don’t wear scanty clothes. Their official dress code insists on formal wear. Even women working in the so-called glamorous industries are in trousers or ‘salwar kameezes’, fully covered. Most educational institutions also do not allow students to dress as they please.
“Rape is not about being provoked by a woman. Rape is in fact the most violent attack on a woman. To arrest this menace, gender sensitizing should begin at an early age, even in school, in this still largely patriarchal country. Political leaders should command their cadres to respect women, instead of making statements condoning a vile crime.”
Now let us look at this matter without giving importance to the “moral policing” act of any political party. Women in our country have been brought up on modest dress code. There are reasons other than cultural for it. It is a scientifically believable fact that different climes make people react differently to sensual enticements. A hotter country like India with the air strong with exotic fragrances men’s senses are easily excited, aroused to desire. So our forefathers wanted to prevent moral chaos consequent to unbridled passion by advocating women to dress with modesty. In order to help men handle the riot of hormones better women were recommended to show responsibility by not dressing provocatively.
In this age of global communication and easy access to various cultures and fashions of the world men of our country especially the youth need to be educated and guided about their reactions to and respect for the opposite sex. A powerful tool we have to serve this purpose- the MEDIA. But alas, the very same MEDIA is the root cause for all that is horrid happening to women.
The editorial clearly says with truth: “Look at most working women standing in the bus stops or taking trains in the metros. They don’t wear scanty clothes. Their official dress code insists on formal wear. Even women working in the so-called glamorous industries are in trousers or ‘salwar kameezes’, fully covered. Most educational institutions also do not allow students to dress as they please.” Then how do the sexual maniacs get perverted, what makes them unleash their wickedness on hapless girls and women in their vicinity? If no woman or girl in real life, in the day-to-day encounters dresses provocatively, who does?
The answer is clear as writing on the wall. The model girls in advertisements, the ramp shows/beauty pageants, in cinema, in the small screen offer an unstinting feast of flesh and skin. The percentage of exposed skin differs marginally from each other. It is purely commercial. All for making money- the business houses and the exposing girls.
Coming to the point, today’s adolescent boys and pervert, sensuous male adults are greatly aroused by what they see in the printed media and visual media. The titillation for many must find consummation. Who are the easy victims, who fall prey inescapably? “They are mostly maidservants, migrant labourers, and those who are under-privileged and cannot protest.”
“pazi Or idam paavam Or idam”. Somebody commits a wrong, somebody else pays the price. Violence against women can hope to get mitigated only when the MEDIA stops pandering to the male hormones voluptuous feasts as it is doing now with gay abandon.
The MEDIA is a villain, a serpent under the grass. It corrupts the minds of the present generation which is passing through inevitable lifestyle changes. Changes should not make us stray from guidelines judiciously, beneficially drawn out for us by our ancestors.