The recent case of molestation of a young girl in the streets of Guwahati by a mob of leering men makes us wonder whether we live in a civilized society. That some in that mob even chose to film the most traumatic and distressing moments of the victim is nauseating. While many have condemned the perpetrators of this horrific incident, some in polite society have instead raised the usual questions about the girl’s character and what she was doing in a pub at night. The same question is never asked of a man. Why? Should there be two standards of behaviour for men and women? If a man can feel safe to walk the streets at night, should the law not ensure that women too can feel the same sense of security? Every time there is an assault on women, fingers are pointed at their conduct, their dress and their mobility. Many still believe that girls should be home bound beyond a certain time. Society has always tried to imprison women in a time warp while men are free to decide their own moral codes. This gender discrimination needs to be dismantled.
The Constitution of India guarantees equal rights to men and women. This includes all rights including the right to social mobility. Sadly these fundamental rights are often subsumed by the customary cultural mores which circumscribe separate codes of conduct for women. Recently the Khap Panchayat of a place very near Delhi has set a list of do’s and don’t for women such as banning the use of mobile phones for women under a certain age and also their freedom to move around. One would think we are living in the dark ages. Often we speak about the Taliban rule and thank our stars that we do not live in Afghanistan and are not ruled by the Taliban. But the recent incident in Guwahati raises fundamental questions about our own claims to be a more progressive society in a liberal democracy. Gender awareness and gender sensitivity campaigns need to be organized not in the closets of colleges and universities but in the real world where there is a dire need to disseminate such ideas.