By Barnes Mawrie
The caption of this article must sound alarming for womenfolk. But what I am going to discuss here are facts and reality demonstrating the plight of Indian women and not to degrade them. Of late we have seen how the BJP governments in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana have imposed a ban on cow slaughter and beef eating. Law breakers are liable to severe punishments and even to the extent of 10 years of imprisonment. Our Home Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh himself has vowed to bring the law into reality. Recently some RSS advocates have initiated the process of introducing a bill on banning cow slaughter in the whole country. Shockingly the Governor of Uttarakhand Mr. Aziz Qureshi, has even made a foolish statement saying that “those who slaughter cows are not Indians and do not deserve to live in India”. I respect the religious sentiments of our Hindu brethren and their belief in the sacredness of cows, but I do not subscribe to the religious romanticism adopted by the Hindu hardliners who are bent on dictating terms to others. Instead, I wish the Government could have the same enthusiasm and intent in addressing issues concerning the dignity and safety of women in our country.
The manner in which the BJP government and the RSS are going about getting this law passed in the country, indicates their determination to get it through. They seem to be highly emotional about this issue and it looks like they will not leave any stone unturned to achieve this goal. But what perplexes many right thinking citizens is the sheer hypocrisy of such people who are over enthusiastic about animal issues but are indifferent about human issues. The human issue I refer to here is related to the pathetic condition of women in our country. Women in our country (if I may be permitted to say) seem to be valued less than cows. The number of rape cases or violation of women and girls is on the rise while the attitude of the government and the law makers continues to be indifferent. In 2012 alone about 25,000 cases of rape have been reported and the rate is rising every year. Women in our country suffer from many prejudiced treatment by the men-folk. I list down a few of such negative ordeals Indian women have to go through:
First of all, right from conception a girl child is already discriminated, hated and many times murdered in cold blood. In many parts of India a girl child is unwanted by parents. Although sex determination tests are legally forbidden, yet in reality they are being carried out and many female fetuses are got rid of even before they could see the light of day. These are innocent victims of male arrogance and dominance. How many babies have lost their lives only God knows, just because they happen to be females! I thank God that I am born in a society where girl babies are very much wanted and valued.
Secondly, in India we have heard so often of “honour killings” which in truth is the most “dishonourable and abominable” act a human being could commit. A number of cases have been reported in the media of young girls who have been mercilessly murdered just because they fell in love with boys outside their caste or religion. Bizarre incidents of decapitation and similar horrific crimes are being reported from time to time and the victims are always the fairer sex.
Thirdly, in many parts of rural India there is another crime against women and that is allegation of witchcraft. In such cases too, many innocent women have lost their lives just because they are suspected of witchcraft. In most cases the allegations are false and are motivated by prejudices, jealousy or vendetta. Such women become easy victims of mob justice, a justice without trial and the right of appeal.
Lastly, women in India are being considered as sex objects who seem to have no right to oppose male dominancy. This has led to innumerable cases of rape which has tarnished the good image of our country. New Delhi is being branded as the “rape capital” of India. Considering the rising number of rape cases reported in our State, Meghalaya is not a safe haven for women either. Rape has become almost a national crime considering the fact of its frequency and ubiquity. The documentary “Daughter of India” made by Leslee Udwin is an eye-opener and an exposition of male hypocrisy and arrogance in India. To see how a rapist tries to justify his heinous crime and trying to shift the blame to the victim or how a male advocate is so prejudiced towards the victim, is really a matter of shame for our country. Thousands of rapists in our country are going scot free even after perpetrating such crimes. Legal actions against them are often more discussed or talked about than actually taken. Perhaps it is this leniency of the law and the seemingly male chauvinism that dominates our society and is encouraging such crimes against women.
Above all these, the attitude of the government towards this issue vis-à-vis the cow issue is truly adding insult to injury. There are so many female fetuses that are being destroyed, so many young girls murdered and raped and so many innocent women killed, yet there is no resolute step taken by the government to put an end to this malady that is destroying our society. Instead, people in authority are busy and deeply engaged in saving cows. Is a woman worth less than a (holy) cow? Is it justifiable to spend time, resources and energy to save the lives of animals and not care for the precious lives of human beings? In some places investment is made in building old-age homes for cows while many old women may be dying of poverty and rejection. As things go now, we will not be surprised to hear of hospitals and nursing homes being constructed for cows. The India that we dream of is a country where human lives are treasured, women are respected and valued and freedom is upheld at all costs; a country where human life counts more than animal life.