When I came to Mumbai, I got mixed reactions from people regarding how safe Mumbai was compared to Delhi!
Some people said that it was very safe compared to Delhi, some said it was as bad. Fact is, 5 months on, I don‘t know what‘s true!
Yes I agree, people in Mumbai are less judgemental than those in Delhi. And I'm not just talking of those roadside romeos - I'm talking about people in general - girls and boys. I would feel far more comfortable wearing a dress on the roads on Mumbai, than in Delhi!
Now, after there have been 2 horrendous attacks in the capital, the question becomes even more pertinent. Why do people is Delhi a sort of Rape capital? To put it more crudely - why are men in the capital, and actually all over north India, more desperate than men in the rest of India??!!
Talk of any sort of sexual crimes and the cities in the north come to light before any other part of the country?! And that‘s where they worship female deities the most!
Is there a connection? I wonder, if we implemented the kind of punishments meted out in Arabic countries, wouldn't it help?!
In December after the first incident took place, there were thousands of protests across Delhi and many other parts of the country. Now, 4 months later, with all the new laws and regulations in place, we still had an encore! Why?
Is it just the police? Is it just the government? I'll bet half the people who took to the streets have some sort of eve teasing record to their name! So why is it, that every time we start the blame game, we tend to turn to the police or government? Is it cause we don't know who else to put the blame on?
Well for starters, how about upbringing? How many kids (esp boys) in India are taught that if they are not given something when they ask nicely, they should learn to stand up and demand it, until they get it - stand up for your right? Well, from a rapists perspective, he demands that the girl sleeps with him, if she doesn't he will stalk her, and if she still doesn't then... sounds absurd right?
How many people in our country still believe that men can (and have the right to) control women? When I say people here, I mean all genders!
Fact still remains, we don't know who to blame when a man violates a women - sexually or mentally!
Some people said that it was very safe compared to Delhi, some said it was as bad. Fact is, 5 months on, I don‘t know what‘s true!
Yes I agree, people in Mumbai are less judgemental than those in Delhi. And I'm not just talking of those roadside romeos - I'm talking about people in general - girls and boys. I would feel far more comfortable wearing a dress on the roads on Mumbai, than in Delhi!
Now, after there have been 2 horrendous attacks in the capital, the question becomes even more pertinent. Why do people is Delhi a sort of Rape capital? To put it more crudely - why are men in the capital, and actually all over north India, more desperate than men in the rest of India??!!
Talk of any sort of sexual crimes and the cities in the north come to light before any other part of the country?! And that‘s where they worship female deities the most!
Is there a connection? I wonder, if we implemented the kind of punishments meted out in Arabic countries, wouldn't it help?!
In December after the first incident took place, there were thousands of protests across Delhi and many other parts of the country. Now, 4 months later, with all the new laws and regulations in place, we still had an encore! Why?
Is it just the police? Is it just the government? I'll bet half the people who took to the streets have some sort of eve teasing record to their name! So why is it, that every time we start the blame game, we tend to turn to the police or government? Is it cause we don't know who else to put the blame on?
Well for starters, how about upbringing? How many kids (esp boys) in India are taught that if they are not given something when they ask nicely, they should learn to stand up and demand it, until they get it - stand up for your right? Well, from a rapists perspective, he demands that the girl sleeps with him, if she doesn't he will stalk her, and if she still doesn't then... sounds absurd right?
How many people in our country still believe that men can (and have the right to) control women? When I say people here, I mean all genders!
Fact still remains, we don't know who to blame when a man violates a women - sexually or mentally!
I think as for blame, there are different aspects that warrant different blame. In my opinion, as for the act itself, there is no question that the person committing the crime is the one to blame, no upbringing, no cultural difference, plainly nothing can justify a rape. You mentioned stalking and raping, in the 16 December case those guys would have raped anyone who had come on to that bus, it was not about a specific individual. There are however a lot of other aspects that do need a discussion of blame, such as how the system handles a rape victim, how the courts treat the cases, how the evidence is collected and how the society reacts to both the act and the injustice that follows. I believe that all of the other factors are a result of a broken system that unfortunately works enough to get by.
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