Delhi gang rape portrays callous society:

Let's make Asia a safe place for women

By Anuradha Kodagoda

'Don't stop your daughter from going out, teach your son how to behave', this quote was spreading like a viral for the past few weeks on many social networking sites; and the two Indian university girls who carried the banner gave it a meaningful sense to rethink about women's rights from a different point of view.

The recent Delhi gang rape incident could remind us not only of the cruelty or incomprehensiveness of society, but how repressed we are as a society and how unsafe this 'manmade' society is for women's existence. However, we must salute the braveness shown by the Indians to raise their voices against all odds and the unbeaten struggle they took forward for the justice of 'Nirbhaya'.

There were plenty of information and news about the brutal incident carried in every media, and of all the detailed information, the statement I think important to analyse is that the perpetrators had abused the woman for being out at night with a man, and said they would "teach her a lesson."

To call 2013 a year of 'the new millennium' I believe is too outdated because we have matured in another decade of millennium. However, with all the technological achievements, can we still call us as a 'developed' nation because we still are not ready to accept a woman on the road after 6 o'clock in the evening? Being in the Asian region it is not an exaggeration if I say our mindsets are still not ready to accept women as independent human beings. Instead we have been brought up with the belief that women are feeble, sentimental and not intelligent and it is therefore vital to have a man in her life to look after and secure her. Therefore, in a family the girlhood experience is completely different from the boyhood experience. This is not merely due to the gender difference but society treats them in two different ways.

However, we have been used to accept the gender disparities without complaint and with time they have become naturalised in society.

This may be the reason that a woman scientist in India ironically blamed the victim for the crime committed; at a seminar in Khargone, M.P. The international media reported that she said, 'Women instigate men to commit such crimes' and she accused the victim of being insensible as she was out of her house after 10 pm. She further claimed that if a girl wanders late at night with her boyfriend; such situations are bound to happen. Unfortunately, this seminar had been called on the topic of 'Sensitivity towards women'. Being a woman scientist I don't suppose she made that statement out of knowledge, but it is the ideology that she has been brought up with being told her by society.

It is a known fact that every minute a woman is being sexually abused in India. Compared with the population even though in Sri Lanka the situation is not so bad, for the past 11 months statistics show that there were 1,636 cases reported of women being sexually abused and this number could further increase considering the non-reported cases. Massive protests and gatherings took place in India to express grief and demand stronger protection for women and death penalty for rape, which is now punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment in India. After many years it is a good sign to prove the characteristic of a progressive society.

However, is the execution or life imprisonment enough for the perpetrators? Is it the problem of a few uncivilised individuals or do we have to understand it as a societal issue? The awareness among women about women's rights and the importance of raising their voices against any human rights violation is crucial in this part of the world because most of the time women have to tolerate cruelties and injustices even within their families.

It is a must that the perpetrators need to be punished according to the law and at the same time it is vital to look into these issues in a broader sense. It is not enough to rehabilitate only individuals but there must be a societal rehabilitation for a better tomorrow, with secured human rights irrespective of gender.

The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh made a crucial statement for the people of his country and I hope to conclude my write-up with it because I believe it is a motto that every Asian country should follow for the betterment of women's rights.

He said "it would be a true homage to her memory if we are able to channel these emotions and energies into a constructive course of action. The government was examining the penalties for crimes such as rape - to enhance the safety and security of women. I hope that the entire political class and civil society will set aside narrow sectional interests and agendas to help us all reach the end that we all desire making India a demonstrably better and safer place for women to live in".

In 'rape capital' Delhi, women turn to self-defence

NEW DELHI (AFP) - After nearly three weeks of lurid reporting on a horrifying gang-rape in New Delhi, women in the Indian capital say they are more anxious than ever, leading to a surge in interest in self-defence classes.

New Delhi has long been known as the "rape capital of India", with more than twice as many cases in 2011 as the commercial hub Mumbai, and special care is taken by most women when travelling at night or on public transport.

But the December 16 gang-rape, in which a 23-year-old student was repeatedly violated on a moving bus and assaulted with an iron bar, has brought concern to new levels amid increased focus on the city's safety record.

Self-defence trainer Anuj Sharma says he has fielded a flurry of calls from concerned women interested in taking classes with his Invictus Survival Sciences training institute in south Delhi.

"There has been a certain surge in the level of demand for services like self-defence and personal protective training," Sharma told AFP at a class in a school hall, echoing comments from other martial arts experts in the city.

"I think this infamous case has forced people to think that they can no longer put this (safety issue) on the backburner, self-defence is a priority for them," he said.

Smriti Iyer, a 23-year-old student like the Delhi victim, says she started coming to Sharma's classes to protect herself better and her example has sparked interest in other friends.

In the classes, Sharma teaches her basic self-defence, including how to squirm free from the grip of an attacker and disable them with a punch or kick to the groin.

"I think women have always known that they have to look after themselves, but after this incident a lot of people of my age have really started taking this up," said Iyer.

Across the sprawling city of 16 million, shopkeepers say sales of pepper spray and rape alarms are up, while many young women report that relatives have become more concerned than ever about their welfare.