Editor,
There has been a disturbing rise in cases of sexual abuse against children, and I wish to address it. Just recently we got the news of a nine year old getting brutally raped and murdered, and to be honest it’s almost every day we hear it. What’s even more terrifying is that people are becoming desensitised to such crimes, and shrug it off as something normal and unimportant. If we look into the matter more carefully, we can see that the problem lies in the representation of young girls in mainstream media. Nowadays, young girls are made to believe that they’re “sexually liberated” and that they ought to expose themselves in order to be “empowered.” But real empowerment is knowing that you need not wear anything that makes you uncomfortable.
A lot of people are into anime and manga, a Japanese form of entertainment. And though I myself am a fan, I can’t overlook the fact that it is hugely problematic; sexualizing school going children and fetishizing school uniforms as if it isn’t entirely paedophilic. The porn industry, adults playing teenagers in movies, glorification of teenage girls dating men in their twenties or thirties, all of them contribute to it. Despite being a young, gender non- confirming person, I myself have faced harassment on the streets like whistling, derogatory remarks and hand gestures by men who are at least fifteen years older than me. The effects it has on a person is quite frankly traumatizing. But so many people look at it with such unimportance. No this is not normal; it has been normalized.
Patriarchy has brainwashed young girls to such extent that cat calling, objectification or sexualization is seen as a compliment or something to blush about. The term “boys will be boys” is often used to justify such behaviour. Boys will be held accountable for their actions. People love to victim blame and often when rape or molestation is reported, they ask, “What was the victim wearing? Why were they out so late at night? They were asking for it.” First of all, a dress doesn’t mean ‘yes’. Whatever a person might be wearing, gives no one the right to touch them or whistle at them, or shout anything at them. It is never the victim’s fault. Never!
And if you are so concerned about the well-being of your daughters, why don’t you lock your sons up after 7 PM? Why don’t you slap them into a room when they say they’ll be back by nine? Isn’t that what you’ve been doing to your daughters? But guess what, they’re still raped in their own homes. And as long as they don’t say yes, they’re not asking for it. “But not all men”… the argument is ignorant at best and problematic at worst. What do you exactly want to convey with this? All I can conclude from this phrase it that you don’t want to hold each other accountable for these actions. That you want to escape with a green card, and that you don’t care about what happened to the victim, but you want to defend yourself.
We know not all men but enough men to be conscious about the length of our skirts, enough men to carry knives or tasers or pepper spray when we go out, enough men to make us question ourselves if we should go out for a walk. Men are also humans capable of thought and empathy, and I refuse to believe otherwise. Saying that “men can’t control themselves” is basically reducing men to their genitals, and treating them like animals on a leash. Men aren’t babies. Hold them accountable, and educate them. Schools need to teach proper sex education and awareness on gender and sexuality. We need to teach consent to young boys and girls and gender non-confirming kids so that they dare not touch other people without consent, or so that they recognise and address any form of sexual misconduct. Everything about a woman is sexualized: her shyness, her anger, her lack of knowledge, her intelligence, everything. But if she’s a sexual woman, she’s demonized. Why? Because she chooses to be sexually expressive. She didn’t choose to be sexualized, but she can choose to be sexual. And patriarchy doesn’t like unashamed women who choose. Just be old enough to do so!
Yours etc.,
Rupsa Marak,
Tura
Double-speak on environment
Editor,
The community in around Elaka Sutnga has for the first time realized that too much of everything is bad for the physical and mental well-being of all and which is why they had to stage a protest against the action and wilful acts of omission and commission of the state government authorities in allowing the mushrooming coke plants in a small area surrounded by human habitations. According to sources, some of these coke plants are backed by politicians in the ruling MDA government. It is therefore no surprise that some of them to speak on the same wave-length like those who have committed this blunder on the fragile ecosystem. Politicians in the government love to talk of climate change, global environment protection etc., but their words and actions do not match. The areas around East Jaintia hills district where rampant coal mining, illegal coke plants and mushrooming cement plants all in the name of so-called development without the real benefits pouring down to the poorest of the poor, have turned hellish . Now that things have taken a turn for the worse turn, it must be appreciated that the local villagers have rightfully and democratically expressed their Constitutional Rights.
Yours etc…
Dominic Stadlin Wankhar
Shillong
Storm Warning
Editor,
A firm statement regarding the internal security of Meghalaya was brought to light by opposition leader Dr Mukul Sangma. The regrouping of militants in the once insurgency ravaged Garo Hills is a sad state of affairs. With the culmination of Operation Hillstorm there was no After Action Report (AAR) sought by the Government on the support lent by different stakeholders on bringing peace in Garo Hills.
The pandemic has been a double whammy, causing disruption to certain economic activities. This will pave the way for certain elements to take advantage of the situation. Looking at the State Security Commission, it is more or less defunct. It needs to be revised by studying how various insurgencies in the past such as Malayan Emergency, Algerian Revolt and Vietnam war have taken place. The hard lessons of one’s mistakes rather than achievements could put us far ahead.
In a March-April 2005, the Military Review article dubbed Anthropology and Counter-insurgency, rightly mentioned that insurgent organizational structure is not defined militarily but through tribal structures and their weapon of choice are not tanks but IEDs. Where is the Meghalaya Home Minister? Holding the Education portfolio, he should start reading the book, ‘The Accidental Guerrilla’ by David Kilcullen. In the book Kilcullen recommends a full-spectrum approach to counterinsurgency, encompassing political, security, economic, intelligence, and information (“hearts and minds”) tracks. He approvingly quotes Vietnam War historian and counterinsurgency theorist Bernard Fall that “a government that is losing to an insurgency is not being outfought, it is being out-governed.
Yours etc.,
Christopher Gatphoh,
Shillong-10