Finally, we are at the top. No, not in
healthcare, education or infrastructure. Nah, the growth rate has not touched
that mark either. Today, ours is the most dangerous county for women in the
whole world. To be frank, it hurts. We take pride in being an Indian. Be it
cricket, or Olympics or human welfare, we always want India to be at the
zenith.
A recent survey conducted by the Thomson
Reuters Foundation (TRF) has labelled India as a country not made for women.
Why should it not be? We as girls had always been told to stay away from boys,
agree to what the bread-winner (husbands) tells, ignore our problems and serve
the family. And in case a man stalked us, or stared at us, just ignore. That’s
how men are meant to be. It is natural for a man to do that. This is how a
typical girl is brought up in India. Of course, there are exceptions.
What about boys? They are taught to be
dominating and demanding since childhood. In case a demand is not met, it may
sound “unethical” and “unacceptable” too. And what if a boy is unusually kind,
helping or supportive towards his mother or female members of his family; he
is, of course, considered “unmanly”.
This is exactly how a 10-year-old boy, Roop,
is being portrayed in a recently launched daily soap on ColorsTV. His father is
leaving no stone unturned to make him understand the value of “mooch” and being
a “man". So much so, he is being forced to leave a co-ed school, where he
is friendly with girls and female teachers. Small wonder that the so-called
“men” view women as a product, a commodity, and try to satiate their desires by
hook or by crook.
That’s how Indian society has been. It is
about extremes, where words like co-existence, mutual contribution, equal
partnership and respect, do not exist. If they exist, they come with “ifs” and
“buts”. In other words, where women are independent and walk out of their
houses, to earn a living, men are still considered superior. Certain jobs are
still meant only for men, despite the strides made by women in those
not-for-women areas.
Administered to 548 experts across the
country, the TRF survey covered six major aspects — health, discrimination,
culture and religion, sexual violence, non-sexual violence and trafficking. It
is shameful that we were ranked the first (the worst) for sexual violence,
culture & religion and human trafficking. While we are the fourth worst
country in terms of accessibility to health facilities to women, we stood at
the third position for non-sexual violence and discrimination out of 192
countries.
The foundation did the same survey in 2011.
The transition from the fourth worst country to the worst points out that
things have only worsened in India. This can be substantiated by the data published
by the national crime records bureau (NCRB) 2016. The report shows an increase
of 2.9% in cases of crime against women during 2016 as compared to 2015.
Cases falling under cruelty by husband or
their relatives have increased by 32.6% and those falling under “assault on
women with intent to outrage her modesty” increased by 25%. There has been an
increase in the number of abduction (19%) and rape cases (11.5%) as well. These
facts lay bare the entire picture of women safety.
Another misconception about “rape” is that
only a particular category of men indulge in such crime and only “certain”
types of women get raped. The NCRB 2016 shows that in 95% of the cases, the
victim knew the offender. In other words, the criminals are no longer
strangers. They are most of the time in the vicinity, whom the women think are
safe to deal with.
Coming back to the TRF report, many have
pointed holes at the way data was collected, collated and analysed. A recent
statement from the National Commission for Women rejected the report, claiming
that the sample size was too small to represent the entire country. Similarly,
a statement issued by the Women and Child Department says, “The ranking is
based on a perception poll based on responses to simply six questions. The
results are not derived from any kind of data and are solely based on
inherently subjective opinions. Further, the poll has been conducted with 548
respondents, which have been defined by Reuters as experts focused on women's
issues”.
True, the sample size was too small and a
little more than 500 people cannot arrive at a conclusion that we are the worst
in terms of women safety and their rights. But even if we ignore this survey,
the report (NCRB) based on actual facts and cases, does not paint a hunky-dory
picture of our women. It shows how the national capital, Delhi, treats women as
it has retained the “rape capital” tag since the 2012 Nirbhaya case.
Incidentally, the report was released by the home minister, Rajnath Singh in
the national capital. Simply put, the information is authentic and the
government cannot go on a denial mode.
Instead of denying the outcome of the survey,
the government should look at the wider perspective. The TRF report has widened
the definition of women safety. It actually links the issue with gender gap,
health facilities and cultural influences. Ask any woman, if she feels safe,
going out on the streets after 9 in the evening, the answer would be “no”. Some
would say they prefer to stay at home or go only with a family member.
That is the point. That is where the
government has to work. The report should force the government to rethink and
introspect, where have we gone wrong. Despite so many stringent laws and
regulations, if women do not feel safe, where do we lack? Clearly, implementation
of these Acts is a challenge.
Indian women have learnt to modify their
behaviours. They have learnt to adjust themselves with the surroundings. The
fact that 95% of the offenders are people from the extended “circle of trust”
shows that women have little value. Despite being educated, if our girls are
being trained to act as if they do not exist or they exist only to serve men,
it shows where we have failed as a society.
And to talk about education, we have seen
girls being denied access to schools as they have been entrusted with the
larger responsibility of looking after their siblings, cooking and giving food
to the king of the family - “the son” – who is being sent to a private school
despite limited resources.
The ministry of human resources has reported
recently that nearly 62.1 million are out of school and the Right to Education
Act covers only 20% of these children. A large majority of these children are
girls. Around 32% of the girls drop out after elementary education, mainly due
to family compulsions.
On the health front, too, the women do not get
any solace. The recent global nutrition report 2017 speaks volumes about the
health condition of our women. More than half of the women falling in the 15-49
age group are anaemic – the highest in the world. A survey conducted in a
tribal region of Maharashtra shows that 92% of the women suffered from
gynaecological problems. Of course, it cannot be extrapolated to the entire
country but the figure itself is horrifying, to say the least.
Another data shows 63% of the working women in
urban areas suffer from such issues. Not that they are not aware, they struggle
to maintain a balance between their office and home, at the cost of their
health. Except for an educated or a privileged few, women rarely discuss their
health issues.
All said and done, seven years have passed. We
slipped four notches down in the TRF report. Instead of ignoring the report,
the government should strive to make this country a happier place for women. It
should show to the world that it has learnt a lesson. The report should act as
an eye-opener, not an eye-closer.
(The
writer, a company secretary, can be reached at jassi.rai@gmail.com)
