End Rape Culture Now

हाँ माना अंग थोड़े अलग से हैं,

तो क्या हुआ, क्या वो इंसान नहीं,

रस्तों पे अकेले ही तो चल रही थी,

तो फिर नजरों से क्यूँ डालते उसके अंगों पे निशान कईं,

 सोचो कभी अगर उस जिस्म की खोल मे रूह तुम्हारी होती,

घूरती नजरें तुमको भी और रूह तुम्हारी भी बेचारी होती,

हर पल, हर कदम एक संघर्ष सा होता,

हर एक बढ़ा कदम जैसे किसी जंग की तैयारी होती,

तो क्या ये सब तुम्हारे लिए फिर भी एक मज़ाक ही होता,

या तू भी कहीं कोने मे जाके अकेले मे रोता,

दो पल मे ही उन घूरती आँखों ने जो दिल मे डर है बसाया,

सोचो अगर उन आँखों मे हवस ना होती तो तुम्हारा क्या ही खोता,

 इसलिये मैं ये ना कहता कि तू महान बन,

लेकिन इतना तो कर की तू अपना अभिमान बन,

की जिनसे तुमने जन्म है पाया,

कम से कम उनकी नजरों मे तो इंसान बन ||  –  By Vishal Modi

Fear of Rape

As a girl child I grew up with certain rules and suggestions which were common in all the households that were known to me.

“Never take a drink from anyone or let your drink out of your sight. Don’t show too much cleavage. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Never go to a boy’s room alone. Always stay with a group of girls… safety in numbers. You can’t trust him, even if he seems nice.”

‘From “Always wait in crowded and in illuminated areas,” to “Avoid isolated areas.’

When I started my college, I had to shift to a different place these suggestions became more intense. One of them was like “If there is no person visible around, you should walk to the nearest shop, commercial unit and stand very close to it so moving traffic can easily observe you.”

Earlier I used to think why my parents and relatives are being so nosy and overprotective. It was like okay! I know that atmosphere out there is not good for women but I know how to survive.

The Unsafe Daughters 

However, in the light of horrifying gang rapes and murders that have been taking place have forced not only me but women of all walks of life (a mother, a sister, a wife, young girls, and girl baby children) across India question ” are we genuinely the daughters of India?“

I hope this bold question will clarify how women in India are feeling right now.

Not a day goes by where we don’t get to hear the news of crime against women in India. Earlier we used to think thrice, before stepping out of our abodes, especially at night time but today it’s like even the bright day light cannot save us from the eyes of the fiends that are out there.

This horrific condition of women in a place where we give women the place of goddess Lakshmi astonishes me.

While I sit here, write about how insecure and angry I am about the condition of women, some of the women out there might be struggling through this worst feeling. Every day and every minute women are being harassed, molested, assaulted, and violated at various places all over the country. Areas like streets, public spaces, public transport, etc. have been the territory of women hunters.

The Rape Culture

 “Rape culture is a sociological concept for a setting in which rape is pervasive and normalized due to societal attitudes about gender and sexuality. Behaviors commonly associated with rape culture include victim blaming, slut-shaming, sexual objectification, trivializing rape, denial of widespread rape, refusing to acknowledge the harm caused by sexual violence, or some combination of these.”- Wikipedia

It’s a shame that rape takes place every day. Rape is like a disease which attacks from everywhere. It is an evil which has no boundaries. It seems like no one is safe. Not even a newborn child. I won’t mention the incidents that I have heard or read about because thanks to social media for not only informing us about them but also glorifying it in detail so that we won’t be able to forget how unsafe we are. From parties to workplaces to our homes, rape and harassment have become a norm.

The struggle of Being a women

In this modern era where women stand strong alongside men and are hence given equal rights. However people do not follow this rule. We contribute to the growth and development of our country; still, we are the ones living in fear. Women earn respected positions in the country. if we take a look behind the curtains, we see even then they are being exploited. Women are the only creatures who began struggling to survive from the very start. Like we fight to get into this world, then a fight to make a place in this world, a fight to follow our passion and our dreams, a fight for freedom, it feels like whenever I step my foot on the floor in the morning I assure myself and say to myself that this journey of life is not going to be easy and I need to fight my way through it.

Why is it that we are the ones who are being asked to walk on this path of burning coal. When people ask me what is it that you desire?  The only thing that comes to my mind and I guess in every woman’s mind is “safety”, “freedom”.

We demand safety and freedom

Freedom to be anywhere at any time, wearing whatever we want, roam with whoever we want, to use any means of transportation we want, in any state we want (be it drunk or sober), and travel solo or with group; without the fear of been eyed upon, groped, molested, or raped.

What we need is to stir the basic foundation of the rules, regulations, and ordinances that we have been living in since ages which make men believe that their gender is superior to women and they can exercise any and all form of control over women.

Lets Fight Together

History cannot be altered, but what can be done is how it is represented. Teachers, experts, writers, and historians, must inculcate in the minds of students and other people that women are an essential part of the society and they deserve respect. Why is it that always women are taught to keep themselves safe? Dress up according to the norms of the society. Why don’t parents teach their sons that no matter what clothes they wear we need to respect them. Why are we asked to come home early?. What if parents teach their son to come home early so that women can roam around freely…

India won’t transform by itself and nor can just the government. The police of the country alone cannot warrant total safety and security. We have to work towards it from this moment onwards, to make India a risk free, safe and sound country.

“We’ve begun to raise daughters more like sons…. But, few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters.”

Also read Body Shaming | What is Body Positivity? 

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