Read this essay to learn about crime against women in India and its prevention. After reading this essay you will learn about:- 1. Subject-Matter of Crime against Women in India 2. Forms of Crime against Women in India 3. Crime and Violence in Work Places 4. Rape 5. Causes and Prevention of Crime against Women 6. Electronic Media and Films 7. Combating Trafficking in Women and Children and Other Details.
List of Essays on Crime against Women in India and its Prevention
Essay Contents:
- Essay on the Subject-Matter of Crime against Women in India
- Essay on the Forms of Crime against Women in India
- Essay on the Crime and Violence in Work Places
- Essay on Rape
- Essay on the Causes and Prevention of Crime against Women
- Essay on Electronic Media and Films
- Essay on Combating Trafficking in Women and Children
- Essay on the Prevention of Trafficking in India
1. Essay on the Subject-Matter of Crime against Women in India:
Aggression, violence and crime against women who comprise about 48-49 percent of the population is not a matter of joke. I have devoted two separate chapters to gender discrimination and violence against women in view of the importance of the problem. Gender discrimination, violence and crime against women are all interrelated and overlap with each other.
In fact, one leads to the other. Though literally crime and violence are different, the difference is very subtle. Literally, violence means unlawful exercise of force/physical force while crime is a wicked act punishable by law.
Crime is an offence. Crime is an antisocial act. It can be both organised and unorganized, while violence is usually unorganized and occurs more at the spur of the moment. However, crime and violence are used interchangeably by the common man because of the subtle difference between the two.
Gender discrimination, crime and violence all are the outcome of hostility and aggression against men. Biologically as well as socially men are more aggressive and dominant than females, females being considered (though not really) as a weaker section of the society. So they become the targets of discrimination, violence and crime by the most powerful class of the society, the man.
The seriousness and frequency of violence and crime against women is well evident when the pages of daily news papers are turned, when the television is viewed. Daily hundreds of cases of murder, rape, molestation, sexual abuse and eve-teasing, forcing women to prostitution etc. are reported by media. Even important T.V. channels have also started showing real cases of crime against women.
A young married woman of Faridabad was burnt to death because of dowry. A young girl in her early teens belonging to a very poor family was murdered by a group of criminals because her father objected to Mk! obscene advances of the gang towards the girl.
Numerous such instances could be quoted which happen every day. Some of these are recorded and probably most of them go unrecorded because of fear and family prestige.
Not only in India, even in most advanced countries cruelty and crime against women are also rampant with large instances of broken marriages, divorces and ruined homes. It is indeed shameful how in a so called civilized society full of civilized people this could happen against their mothers, sisters and wives.
If they would think and visualize of their sisters, wives and mothers at the time of committing the crime, probably they may withdraw from this heinous act.
A married woman called Lily was burnt to death by her in laws in Orissa because of dowry. Though Orissa is a peace loving state dowry death and rape cases are also on the rise here. Many of the crimes go unreported to police because of social stigma.
As per the reports in New Indian Express August 1, 2004 in Hyderabad one woman is killed every 10 days due to sexual jealousy. Below are some cases reported by the above paper on the crime and murder against women because of sexual jealousy.
1. Sree Laxmi a gold medalist and a M.C.A. student while appearing in the examination was killed by a young man whose love was rejected by Sree Laxmi. Without any provocation he took away a butcher’s knife from his T shirt and in a flash gave her so many blows as a result she died instantly. But the man walked out as casually as he had entered leaving behind the victim in a pull of blood.
2. In the neighbouring Ranga Reddy district three women are murdered every fort night for the same reason. Vijaya Wada, tops the state with an average 1237 cases of crime against women every year. Hyderabad is next with 959 cases, Visakha Patnam recorded 306 cases, Karim nagar district has the dubious distinction of recording an average of 95 rapes each year.
The case of Prasanna Laxmi who was killed in 1997 by her classmate in Gunthur made headlines. Here too the reason was sexual jealousy. She had not reciprocated his love. On 15th July 2004 B. Padmavati, an eighth standard student was doused with kerosene and set on fire by her lover because she refused to reply to his love letter.
Incidents of acid throwing and murder threats are frequent in many districts of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. But unfortunately most of the cases go unreported as the victims are very scared of the social stigma and further attacks of the culprit due to revenge. Murder of young women due to sexual obsession and jealousy are also found in other states.
On July 26th in Delhi, Rithika Chowdhury 15, was stabbed to death in broad day light on her way to school by one Mangal Singh claimed to be her boy friend. He allegedly stabbed Ritika more than 10 times. On July 24th Kanchan, 22, was killed by Nikhil a possessive lover and graphic designer by profession. He killed Kanchan with a barber’s razor inside Delhi zoo as he grew suspicious of her movements.
In 1996, N. Koteswari a junior college student of Ongole in A.P. was killed in broad day light near the Saibaba temple. Her rejection of a proposal from a boy seems to be the reason for her murder.
In 1998 a 12th standard girl named Sailaria from Kandukar in A.P. was allegedly raped and murdered, probably by a youth claiming to be her lover. In 1999 Kala Chowdhury a 12th standard girl was missing from Ongole, A.P. She was killed, but the clue is yet to be found. Two of the witnesses died few months back under mysterious circumstances.
In Orissa, recently a college girl called Biswarupa was found murdered probably due to similar reasons. There are thousands and thousands of cases of crime against women due to sexual jealousy which go unreported. What is it that drives the educated youths to commit such henius crimes against women?
Is it due to jealously, possessiveness or hostility as love and hate go together? We will come to be causes later on. Reports about crimes in “Crime in India” and other sociological, criminological journals do indicate the seriousness of the problem.
2. Essay on the Forms of Crime against Women in India:
A. Simple Individual Acts like Eve Teasing, Wife Beating:
This has been discussed under violence against women. Prostitution is a type of rape where the woman’s willingness is forced.
Some of the important forms of crime against women are listed below:
B. Prostitution:
It is a crime. Though appears to be a crime committed by women, it is actually committed by men against women. Analysis of hundreds and thousands of case studies and various observations reveal that it is the society and it is the male folk who drive the woman to commit such an illegal act to which they become a party. Women cannot commit this Social Crime without the help of men.
No one can go for prostitution according to her own sweet will. Various financial, social and psychological constraints drive one to this business and these constraints are made by men. If men really want that prostitution should be abolished they should stop going to prostitutes which they do not do for reasons best known to them.
C. Homicide:
It may be intentional murder or forcing women to take their lives by committing suicides. These crimes committed against women lead to a considerable degree of pain and suffering in women. They feel physically, economically and psychologically in-secured after these crimes.
The cumulative strains which follow from these crimes lead to severe mental distress in women. Records show that the incidence of each category of these crimes is very high in India and elsewhere.
These crimes would be more than what records show as most of the crimes (eve teasing and molestation) in conservative societies are never reported, because of the victim’s inherent hesitation to complain about such matters. The crime of wife heating also goes unreported hundred percent. Data show that in 1981 total number of recorded crime against women was 28,050.
These crimes against women are more often than not one sided, without provocation and the victim is an innocent individual. The logic is that the victim in such crimes is an innocent, helpless and physically weak person than the victimizer and hence fails to defend herself
The crime against women may also be organised and un-organised When previous conspiracy is made to murder a woman or rape her and a number people are involved to commit the crime as per the plan, it is an organised crime. Murder of a woman for property, revenge or vindictiveness may be called an organised crime.
In case of un-organised crime, the crime is committed without any preplan or through any racket. The tendency to commit the crime arises all of a sudden, at the spur of the moment. Sexual assault against minor children can said to be the meanest crime. In certain cases a pervert first kills the minor girl child and then rapes her. In such an incident in Orissa the culprit has been sentenced with life.
3. Essay on the Crime and Violence in Work Places:
We often read and see in the media how working women are subjected to discrimination and sexual harassment. Taking the advantage of their tender mind, low assertiveness, and economical needs, their senior workers, employers and persons in high posts in their office start harassing them sexually.
Some years back I read in a news paper how a lady employee working in a very big computer firm in U.S.A. was sexually harassed by the employer and head of that company who was an Indian. The lady started a suit in the court of law and received huge compensation.
In U.S.A and other developed countries work place harassment are not rare and the harassed women usually report the matter to the suitable authority or court of law for justice and compensation. In India harassment of the women employees by their employers, sexual advances of the officer towards his Personal Assistant or Private Secretary, Seniors on the subordinate women workers are also on the rise.
But such cases are very often not reported due to the fear of losing the job, social stigma and further harassment by the culprit. About a year back an allegation came out in the paper as well as T.V. news how the M.D. of a big company tried to sexually molest one of the employees of the same company based at Bombay.
It was planned through a middle man said to be another employee of the same company. Thanks to her courage, the woman complained the matter and both the officers were arrested. There was a lot of hue and cry on this in the media. Even the woman was said to be allured to withdraw the case and when she did not, she was threatened. I don’t know the fate of the case today.
There are also out of court settlements in such issues where the case is settled outside the court on payment of compensation. According to me along with punishment to the culprit some compensation should be provided to the victim for rehabilitating and providing her financial support in a callus society. The compensation may be collected from the offender as fine.
Reports are found very often about the girl students being sexually harassed by their teachers and professors. Allowing the girls to give more marks in the examination these sexually pervert males make indecent advances towards the girls. If someone objects she is failed in the examination. Many such cases are not reported.
Shortly, news came up in New Indian Express about a third degree sexual assault change against a visiting professor from India. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail for sexually assaulting a student of U.S.A.
The professor made the plea that he touched the student because of the way she was dressed. Because of her plea the sexual offense of first degree was reduced to third degree. A^ first degree sexual abuse in U.S.A. carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison according to the daily NEBRASKAN reported in new Indian Express. The rules should be equally stringent in India to reduce crime against women.
A report published in Times of India Dt. 15.7.2004 indicates a 68 year Ex-Raw employee arrested for allegation of molesting a 15 year old girl. In Delhi, this year (2004) more than 200 cases of molestations have been reported so far. Last year (2003) in Delhi 475 cases of molestation and 450 cases of rape were reported.
In another incident reported in the Times of India this year a 23 year old woman was allegedly raped by her former employer and his friend in Delhi. There are innumerable cases like this to support the view that crimes against women are on the rise. A substantial number of unreported crimes against women make the case of women more complicated.
Some people hold the view that because more and more women come out of their house to work outside, to work and study in schools and colleges, to find jobs, so they are exposed to the external world of man and are subjected to violence. Some also argue that the scanty modern dress worn by girls and women motivate the men to commit sexual crimes. The way one is dressed indicates one’s personality.
So in my view women should be dressed dignifiedly so that males will respect them and would not be allured. Though a section of people do not agree with this, I as a woman and a psychologist with vast years of experience in teaching and administration do hold that the dress of the woman is to some extent responsible, but it is not the sole cause of crime against women.
The causes of committing sexual crimes and abuses also lie in the person who commits the crime. Social perversions and sick minds, lead to such antisocial behaviour.
Rape and murder of women should be considered crime of great order. To device a system to protect women from such indecencies and indignities is most urgent and should be given priority and the victims should be sympathetically treated at the hands of the society. The family violence’s should be dealt with the family members and any outside interference will damage the delicate husband wife relationship.
However, the responsibility of the society is to prevent and warn the culprits outside home like eve teaser, harassment on the road and sexual assault in public private places. Society should not close its eyes when it sees women being harassed.
The society is also to share the blame for discouraging women from seeking justice in the plea by bad reputation and social stigma. She is told that by complaining she will not get any justice but will definitely get a bad name and hence silence becomes the best policy.
This is why it is difficult to enforce the existing legal provisions against eve teasing and eve teasing rises day by day. A substantial number of cases are seen where girls make an end to their lives by not being able to tolerate constant and continuous eve tearing and harassment due to their sensitive nature as they have no other alternative.
Want of police force to intervene in cases of Eve teasing and wife beating also lead to the rise in such cases.
Intervention by police may also lead to greater hostility and ill feeling between husband and wife. Nongovernment organisation and social bodies finding for the cause of women, electronic media may function as “WATCH GUARDS” or “WATCH DOGS” to prevent such antisocial behaviour.
They should bring to the notice of appropriate authorities such crimes so that the culprit will be scared of the social watch dogs and stop doing sexual and other crimes against women.
If the society organizes itself collectively to raise its voice against sexual crimes, the women will also feel encouraged and motivated to openly voice their sufferings instead of suppressing everything.
Thus vigilance of the local people on crimes and violence’s against women will monitor information of ill treatment and even carry out social punishments which were prevalent during old times such as punishments given by village bodies and panchayats like total segregation of the culprit from all social functions held in the village, non participation in the social functions of the culprit, no conversation or relation with the culprit or his family etc.
Thus by boycotting the criminals and their associates socially, as was done in the past they may be forced to accept the prescribed-social norms without being prone to break them. This is probably the most effective way of preventing and punishing social crimes.
The police and justice should also give exemplary punishments to the law violators and to those who do wrongs, go against the social norms and social sanctions.
4. Essay on Rape:
Rape, as an atrocity is the most un-excusable crime found in humanity. It is to my mind more dangerous than murder. When you murder a woman, she is gone and she does not experience any humiliation after death. But a rape victim leads a life of continuous and unbelievable suffering and mental agony. She is considered an out caste in her own family as well as in the society.
She becomes the victim of familial and social hatred and unacceptable in the society. How many males would like to marry a rape victim on their sweet will? A rape victim is at no fault for her rape.
So why should she be a social out caste; an organism of hatred and despise? For the entire life she suffers and suffers as rape leaves a permanent scar on her. She has no place at her own home and no place in the society. So mostly she considers to make an end to her life.
Now a days in many cases rape is being legalized through marriage. The person who raped her is asked by the villagers or society or even by the courts with the consent of the victim to marry the rape victim. Sometime back I saw a movie in television where the rape victim gets married to the victimizer as a part of social justice.
Though it is a type of adjustment, it does not give justice to the woman raped because for the entire life the woman is reminded that her husband is a rapist, he is a criminal and hence she is full of hatred for her.
So she fails to love and respect her husband, she is scared when her husband wishes to have sex with her. She is reminded of the incident whenever her husband makes sexual advances to her. The post rape trauma is extremely painful and pathetic for the poor victim.
Besides punishing the rapists very stringently, the woman raped should be provided with counselling and therapy to give up her guilty feeling for an incident for which she is not responsible. In-spite of such horrible and unfortunate incidents in woman’s life, a woman has to live ill this world.
Suicide is not the solution. One has to learn to forget the past, consider such crimes as incidents of life without her control and so she should not make her responsible and feel guilty.
In developed and most civilized countries the social stigma attached to rape is not as high as it is considered in our conservative societies. So while trying to prevent rape and provide stringent punishment to the culprit one should also learn the management of rape.
With a practical outlook one has to live in the society. Women who live after rape should remember this. Prostitution is a kind of rape. It outrages the modesty of a woman with forced consent.
The belief that a woman is weak, submissive and cannot protect herself, enable many devils to rape. Women also consider themselves weak. So they fail to protect themselves from the clutches of the rapist though a few succeed or retaliate.
The illusion about a woman’s personality further encouraged by the social standards leads one to attack the woman and outrage her modesty. Caste prejudices also give rise to atrocities against women. Persons belonging to the higher castes, rape women of lower castes in rural areas only to show their physical superiority.
Secondly in the plea of helping financially many rich people call the women to their house for the purpose fulfilling their sexual urge.
To stop such atrocities against women perhaps very less has been done. The single most important cause of criminal assault against women is the illusion, the myth of the society on the weakness of woman. Further society has allowed this myth to grow. Those in administration and society have perhaps failed to equip the woman to defend themselves against physical outranges. The social system has allowed it to grow.
A society which builds ones personality can also be changed by human beings. There has been very little organised attempt to make girls and women physically fit to combat against the male criminals. Very little provision for physical training, athletics and skills like karate have been there in India to fight against the culprits. So more and more physical training centre.
Yoga exercise schools, and karate centres should be opened and they should be provided training to make them physically fit to prevent any attack against them. More and more pictures and serials should be telecast to make women physically fit. Reporting of violence should be quick, F.I.R. should be accepted at once, and delay should not be made in investigation and in awarding justice.
All the bottlenecks and blockings should be cleared with immediate effect. Though there are women and child welfare departments in the centre and states, their activity should be effective and widened. The departments and Mahilla Commissions should work united to reduce and prevent atrocities against women.
Village and Dist. level Mahilla Commissions should be established with effective persons to perform their responsibility. The culprit should be given punishment at the earliest. The Mahilla commissions should be given ample power to deal with the culprits effectively.
Above all, education of women and girls should be given the first priority to prevent crimes against women. Rehabilitation of victims of rape and violence is essentially a responsibility of the society. Various government, nongovernment organisation and social activists should find out ways and means to rehabilitate them, so that they can live in the society with respect and dignity.
Instead of despising them men should be liberal towards the women with broad outlook. Society should honour them like any other woman who is not a victim of rape or sexual assault.
She should be accepted by the society physically, socially and mentally. She should not be considered as a social out caste, but should be entrusted with any responsibility for which she is suitable. Authors should take the cause of women more extensively.
Edfried Jelineck a woman got the noble prize for literature for her outstanding work. Novels and plays in which she attacked violence against women, explores sexual and political violence in Europe.
There is so much to say regarding crime and violence against women, that the more one says about it, the less is said it is felt. Some data on atrocities and violence against women in Madhya Pradesh between 1991 to 2000 is presented below as a sample to prove objectively the atrocities against women.
From the above data it is evident that in the year 2000 the crime against women recorded in Madhya Pradesh has been maximum i.e., (17902) and shows that rape has been maximum in the age group of 19-30 yrs. up to 10 years it is 3.74%, years. Between 11-15 years it is 16%, between 16 to 18 years it is 26.54%. Between 19 to 30 years it is 39.36%. between 31 to 50 years it is 13.11% and above fifty it is 1.25%.
These are the registered cases with police. But the actual numbers of rape are much more because most of the rape cases are not registered with police clue to social stigma and fear for the victimizers. Again many rape criminals are acquitted because of want of evidence.
In Chennai State 362 cases under rape and 5937 cases under Immoral traffic Prevention Act was reported in 1998. The number of cases under dowry death was not much. It was reported high at Chennai City and Chengalpattu with 19 cases each while it was NIL in Namakkal, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Trichy District and Theni Dist.
5. Essay on the Causes and Prevention of Crime against Women:
While several common factors of crime exist, the cause of each type of crime is different. The causes of crime against women due to frustration in love or sexual jealousy may be psychological. When a person loves someone blindly and possessed by the love he shows pathological characteristics and looses his control on himself.
His destructive tendency overcomes his ego and he commits the crime. Those people who are highly influenced by gender discrimination and gender prejudice may not hesitate to commit an offense against the woman whom they hate. Further when complaints are made against the culprit the matter is not taken seriously by the police.
The law and order authority probably think that the woman is telling a lie or exaggerating; so they take it lightly. Sometimes political pressure or other benefits stand on the way of justice. Even in certain cases it is seen that when a rape victim comes to the police station to file a F.I.R against the culprit, it is in many cases not accepted.
Even in certain cases the police rapes the victim. Thus one who should have given protection and justice, himself does the crime. In Oriya, there is a saying that when RAKHYAKA becomes the VAKHYKA (i.e. when the protector becomes the victimizer what the woman can do.
The attitude of the law and order authorities towards the crime against women can be fully understood from the following news report which came up in the new Indian Express on April 14th under the head line “Girl raped by in laws, cops say it is common”. A teen ager (13) girl married a year back to a much older man at Bhagalpur; Bihar came to the Bhagalpur court and was waiting for her lawyer.
She had to make a complaint with the police, regarding repeated rape by the brother of her sister in law, but the police refused to accept her complaint. Accidentally she met Mr. Sharma a lawyer who took her to Bhagalpur S.P. The S.P. marked the complaint to the Barari Station in charge.
The S.P directed her to a constable Mr. Chowdhury who told her not to pursue the case, he is investigating it. While the law requires that a rape complaint be filed forth with, the constable did not even have a copy of the complaints he claimed to be investigating.
On his suggestion to the girl, to give up the fight. Chowdhury says “Her father wants to protect her honour.” However S.P Bhagalpur assures he would have the F.I.R. registered.
It may be relevant to mention here that when the girl complained before the in laws about this sexual abuse they said it was okay. Even her husband did not show any interest when she complained before her. This case is more of a rule than an exception in North Bihar.
A recent survey by Bhumika Vihar, a Katihar based organisation says trafficking in girl children is rampant in the districts of north Bihar. Fake child marriages in poor families are the most common tactic of brokers.
The victim’s case is typical of marrying a young girl, then the entire house hold of the husband raping her before selling her off to a pimp”, says activist Arun Kumar. The victim’s lawyer also agrees with this. He says “By forcing sex on her, the husband must have been trying to habituate her.
In the 58 villages that Bhumika Vihar volunteers surveyed in the last year, there were 204 cases in which girls were trapped in marriages. A third of them remained untraceable and in 63 cases parents also showed no interest in locating them. “It is as much about gender bias as it is about poverty.” says Kumar.
Thus the above is a burning example why crimes against women are on the rise. The approach of the authorities towards women encourages the criminals.
Santha Sinha, a Ramon Magsasay award winning sociologist and Professor of central university, Hyderabad says “We live in a male dominated society where men have a superiority complex. They want women to submit to them. Many of the accused think that it is not wrong to attack girls who don’t respond to them.” The murder of the girls by sexual jealous lovers has explained in the above way.
The accused in case of Rithika’s murder case told before a television channel “I killed her because she ditched me. She deserved it.” In many cases a ditched positive lover thinks that if he cannot have her, nobody else should. Here is an obsessed man who does not want others to marry his beloved and be happy. In many cases he throws acid on her face to make her look ugly and in extreme cases he murders her out of rage.
Dr. Anil Kumar Jha, a retired professor of psychology J.N. university holds “From Childhood they want everything they wish. They turn violent when you say no to them. Parents can nip such tendencies in the child if they are alert and keep track of their children’s’ day to day activities.”
Referring to Shakespear’s great tragedy Othello psychologists call such behaviour as “Othello Syndrome”. This syndrome is characterized by recurrent accusations of morbid jealousy, suspicion and a kind of possessive love.
Such a tendency if exaggerated lead to disruption in marital life, may lead to homicide and suicide. It is therefore a dangerous tendency and is responsible for crime against women. At least 5 to 10 percent of the psychiatric symptoms are related to the Othello syndrome, says Jha. In some cases alcohol exaggerates such behaviour.
6. Essay on Electronic Media and Films:
To-day many crimes and violence’s are caused against women because of the violence shown against women in movies and television. Particularly the effect of television is obvious. Violence in films, and serials showing eve teasers and harassing women as heroes and character actors influence the rise of crimes in women. This will be discussed in detail in separate chapter.
i. Lack of Social Awareness Responsibility, Support and Immediate Reporting:
It is now a days normally seen that when a woman is harassed on the road in the broad day light, many people and the passersby just enjoy it and even if some people like to come to the rescue of the distressed woman, they never come because of social awareness and also because they are scared of their own life. Some people just don’t care considering it as a normal, day to day event.
More often those who see the crime are scared to give witness. Many otherwise good friends decline to say anything against the culprits. If nobody gives witness and even if anybody gathers courage and gives witness, he or she is harassed and even killed. Such instances of killing the witnesses by unidentified persons are very common to-day.
Police and law and order authority must give protection to those who come willfully to give evidence against the culprit. In most of the cases the culprits are not punished because of want of evidence. To give justice to women and reduce crime against them, these problems are to be solved.
Saraswati Das who recently died at SCB Medical College, Cuttack, Orissa after she gave a shocking dying declaration alleging sexual abuse by other-men in which her own brother and mother were involved tells the extent of sexual abuse at home where women think they are quite safe. Report on the above case came out in the New Indian Express Dt. 1.6.2004.
This is the case of one Saraswati but many such Saraswatis, Laxmis and Draupadis all over the country are subjected to gender discrimination, violence, atrocities, physical assault and murder. While most of them go unnoticed and forgotten with the passage of time, in most of the reported cases no action is taken against the culprits due to want of evidence.
Our prevailing socio-cultural conditions, customs, bias against women, red tapism, delay and negligence by the police may be due to what-ever reasons, are the main causes of injustice to women. What is most shocking is that most of the sexual violences like eveteasing, sexual assault and murder due to sexual jealousy, dowry and family quarrels are never reported to the public and the police.
Abhijit Das of Sahyog, a Lucknow based N.G.O while speaking on “Population, development and gender” in a three day workshop commented it is high time that we must get rid of the private sphere psychology and make crime against women public. Otherwise the culprits are encouraged repeating the same crime again and again in the future.
Workshops like this on womens’ problems are very essential to sensitise men including mediamen. To prevent crime against women, crime and violence against women should under no circumstances go unreported.
ii. Delay in Disposal of Cases:
It is said that justice delayed is justice denied. It is found that disposal of crime and violence cases take long years. Take the case of Dhananjaya Chatterjee of Kolkata. The case took 14 years for final punishment. Justice after so long years looses it real purpose.
Hence the causes of such delays should be traced by all concerned and action taken so that justice can be awarded quickly. Because of delay in giving justice culprits are encouraged to increase their crime against women.
An interview was conducted to find out the causes of crime from 50 social scientists, criminologists, psychologists, physicians, psychiatrists, social workers, police officers and respectable citizens. From the interview it was concluded that no single factor can be attributed to the crime against women. It is an interaction of so many factors like geographical, social, cultural, economic and environmental factors.
It is the tradition in the society to consider women an object of enjoyment. In traditional Indian society polygamy, (marring several women), sexual exploitation of women, and atrocities against women were considered as customs. In the old age along with luxurious goods a young woman was given as gift.
iii. Society:
From that period a woman was considered as an object of enjoyment. Even to-day this attitude exists in society. Sixty percent of the participants viewed this to be the impact of television culture. In television and movies usually women are depicted as objects of beauty, love and enjoyment. 80% of the respondents blamed the Indian society for its attitude towards women.
iv. Illiteracy:
During the Vedic age women were equal with men in relation to education, knowledge, respect and dignity etc. This is why, women occupied high position in the society. In the middle age however educational standard of women went downward.
Though after independence stress was given on the literacy and education of women still women remain behind the national average in literacy. Out of 42 crores illiterates in India, as much as 25.78 crore women are still illiterate.
Women can fight against the social injustice towards girls and women through educational empowerment. 95 percent of the respondents agreed that illiteracy and want of education is the main reason behind atrocities against women: 90 percent say that in rural areas most of the atrocities against women are not registered and reported to police.
Even in localities of towns where girls education is low such atrocities are not reported.
It is more funny even to find in the 21st century women accepting gladly atrocities against them. On 15.10.2004 at 8.30 P.M. E.T.V. Oriya telecasted the serial “Crime File”, where a woman was heard saying “we are also beaten by our husbands on and off, but we stay peacefully.” This is funny.
This was said with reference to the murder of a woman by her husband under the influence of alcohol. Unless women fight against the injustice and inhuman treatment made to them no power in the earth can prevent the atrocities against women. For this fight education of women gets the top priority which is a basic factor of woman empowerment.
v. Film Television, News Papers and Other Mediums of Propaganda:
The use of women in advertisements, in the role of models and various characters shown in films and televisions is one of the basic reasons of crime against women. This was viewed by 75 percent of the respondents in the above study.
From the advertisements using young and beautiful women in various dresses it is invariably felt that as if without women no advertisement is possible, as if viewers always want to see bodies of beautiful women in scanty dresses. Similarly violent and sex films are also responsible for violence against women as the viewers think that the acceptable things are shown in T.V. and so they also start imitating it in practice.
The Censor Board seems to be doing not much work in this regard. The songs including dance sequence shown in Bollywood films like “CHOLI KE PICHE KYA HAI”, or “TOO CHIJ BADI HE MAST MAST” are the burning examples of how women are still considered as objects of enjoyment.
It is a shame that only very few protested against this, but ultimately nothing happened. Should we not switch off the television when such ugly songs and dance sequences are shown as a mark of respect to womanhood in general and to our mothers, sisters and wives in particular?
vi. Sexual Attraction:
All the respondents (100 percent) agreed that the sexual attraction for women which is instinctual in man (the sex instinct) is responsible for all sexual crimes. Today’s films and televisions also support this attitude. But that sexual urge is to be restricted and fulfilled only as per the social norm is being forgotten by many males in the society.
Even when the husband cohabits with his wife without her conscience that amounts to rape. Because of the influence of Western Civilization (where restrictions on sex are very few) India’s youths are running after sexual pleasure irrespective of the sexual restrictions imposed by the society.
Further urbanization, industrialization, desulfurization, westernization, Fobs, night clubs, bars open till midnight advertisements related to sex and wine, have polluted the Indian Socio Cultural climate, its morality and values. This has led to abduction, kidnapping, eve teasing, harassment, rape and murder of women.
vii. Low Status of Women at Home:
The position of women in the society and family was very high in the ancient time. Even after that period women were highly respected in the family. They had a say in all decisions made. A woman was called “Janani” because she gave birth to children, raised them and they helped in the growth of generation.
They were called ‘DUHITA’ because they are helpful for both the parents and also in laws. But with the passage of time men tried to attack women because men wanted to be the sole owner of all unmovable and movable properties. Thus, they tried to fulfill their selfish interest by undermining the role of women in family.
They tried to suppress and repress them, kept the girl child at home without sending her to school, asked the women to do all the house hold work, even to bring water from a distance of 5 K.M., to work in the field and then came back and do house hold work. This practice is also continuing to-day in about 65 to 75 percent of villages of India. Education and assertiveness can eradicate crime due to low status of women.
viii. Irresistible Desire for Wealth:
In this materialistic age, irresistible desire to acquire wealth is spreading like an infectious disease. This tendency to become rich over night without any effort is culminated in the addiction to dowry. Torture and dowry deaths are increasing day by day for this disease of the society. Through Anti Dowry Act Govt. have tried to prevent this crime, But social awareness is required to make the anti dowry act effective.
ix. Moral Degradation:
Devaluation of moral values was agreed by all the respondents to be a major cause of crime against women-Nowadays heinous crimes are committed without thinking of its consequences. The effect of crimination in politics and inclusion of corrupted politicians in administration liberal legal systems in the name of democracy and freedom also seem to be deteriorating the moral standard of people, and lead to crime.
Moral education and social awareness are necessary to combat crime against women. All these causes of crime lead one to conclude that atrocities committed against women are to be irradiated by various agencies of the society such as through various social campaigns and awareness programmes, social support, legal protection, safeguards and reforms in the justice system.
Electronic and paper medias have a tremendous responsibility in this regard.
Despite various measures undertaken by government and various voluntary organisations the women in India continue to suffer compared to other developed countries due to lack of awareness of their rights, oppressive socio-cultural customs and above all lack of education.
By empowering women who are disadvantaged through education, health services, job opportunities, economic and legal support, by making reservation in educational institution and various professional, general and technical educations, by reserving seats in Assembly, Parliament and various jobs the low status of women can be raised, the bias, discrimination against them can be up rooted and crime against them can be prevented.
By bringing improvement in their personality factors, they can be made to compete with the males in the society which will also prevent crime against them.
x. Assertive Training:
It is seen that women are very often attacked physically and mentally because of their low self image, inferiority complex and low status in the society. By providing women with assertiveness training their self concept can be raised and they can face the attacks of male folks.
The assertiveness training method is applied to develop effective adjective behaviour as well as to desensitize the person. Assertive training is used when desired behaviors are prevented by personal timidity, inferiority feeling and interpersonal hesitancy.
Those persons like women and other weaker sections in our society who are afraid to express and insist up-on their legitimate rights can be taught to express themselves and assert their rights without fear. Usually socially withdrawn individuals like women, people of backward classes and neurotics are not assertive because they have been suppressed and oppressed not to speak against injustice.
The example of a non-assertive person is an uneducated, illiterate rural woman of India, who may remain silent when beaten, scolded or thrown out of the house. She has no inner power or voice to revolt and react. A non assertive person may remain silent if someone who is much behind him in a queue pushes him and goes ahead of him to buy a ticket.
Many women think that assertion is hostility or unsocial behaviour, so they don’t react. But assertion is not aggression, it is fighting for one’s right. Non assertive people are prone to develop fear, timidity and they don’t usually react to injustice. They are with-drawing type persons.
Before giving assertive training the degree of non assertiveness of the person in question is to be estimated through a questionnaire. Then depending upon his or her degree of assertiveness, the behaviour therapist presents the clients with a number of tasks in which they are asked to defend their rights.
They are trained to develop assertiveness if they fail to do so. As a result, they gain self confidence. The clients must be explained that assertiveness and hostility are not same and to be assertive need not necessarily means that one has to be hostile.
Duke and Nowicki (1979) in this context say “The goal of the assertion therapist is to move the passive person from the extreme left side of the dimension to somewhere in the middle. Many people could benefit from moving from the extreme right towards the middle but such people rarely are as miserable as the non assertive person and usually don’t seek help. By giving assertive training to unassertive women with lower self concept either individually or in groups a lot of crime and violence against women can be combated and prevented.â€
7. Essay on Combating Trafficking in Women and Children:
Trafficking in women and girls is defined by the U.N. General Assembly 1994 as “the illicit and clandestine movement of persons across national and international boarders, largely from developing countries with the end goal of forcing women and girl children in to economically oppressive and exploitative situations, for the profit of reserve traffickers, and crime syndicates”.
Illicit trafficking in women and children is mostly found in developing countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. Women victims in these countries are trapped by t.lie criminals and organised crime groups who offer them high income jobs in other countries like India, Japan, Hong Kong, West Asia and even Europe.
Some of these women are even sold to other crime groups and forced in to prostitution. The fortunate ones are sold as maid servants in Gulf countries and Europe.
Similarly trafficking of children within the country is also quite high. Children are found trafficked from the villages to the various industries of towns and cities like carpet industry. Bidi industry, slaughterhouses, fishing industry etc. located in various parts of the country.
Trafficking has also a direct link with abduction and kidnapping. The report of National Crime Records Burreau (1998) indicates that 23,564 persons were abducted in 1998. This is an increase of 9% over the figure in 1997. Out of this 16380 relates to kidnapping and abduction of women and girls.
The reports of NGOs working in the area of immoral trafficking shows that every year an average of 20,000 persons mostly women and children from Nepal and Bangladesh join the prostitution business in India particularly in Mumbai, and Kolkata.
Tamil speaking Srilankans are engaged in flesh business in Tamil Nadu. Similarly several Maldivians, are reported to be allured to the organised sex racket in Bangalore, Trivandrum and near-by cities. Even illegal sex activities are undertaken through migration across the border. Investigation of several cases has exposed the activities of organised criminal groups and gangs in the immoral trafficking of women.
In a recent case in Goa a man was convicted by the court for running an orphanage to organize sexual orgies using boys in the age group of 5-15. Several foreigners used to visit him for this purpose.
They used to develop pornographic materials from the sex acts and transfer them to several parts of the world including Australia, Germany, Sweden and France for customers abroad. This nasty sex racket was exposed by social activists and N.G.O.s.
The cause of trafficking of women and girls originates from gender in equalities and are encouraged by violation of human-rights and poverty in developing and under developed countries. “Globalization, Liberalization and feminization of poverty have aggravated the situation”
8. Essay on the Prevention of Trafficking in India:
Trafficking is a preventable crime. By training and sensitization of law enforcing officials, and building up public support through awareness campaigns it can be prevented. N.G.O.s., Social activists, state government officials, the law enforcement officials, particularly the police, the prosecutor are required to be actively involved for its prevention.
Specific methods and technique, to combat trafficking are to be used to permanently prevent it. They are Action Research, Comprehensive law, National Monitoring agency, Integrated approach. Sensitization programmes, and Awareness Campaigns.
Among other things the Action research committee will survey the villages to identify the places where more women are trafficked and the number of missing children is more and then find out the cause of the same. Door to do survey on such women and children is essential to reach at the root cause.
Comprehensive Law:
The Law Commission and the National Commission for women have suggested appropriate changes in the existing law. A comprehensive law should be brought about keeping in view all facts of trafficking as per the U.N. convention and in accordance with the Article 23 of the Indian Constitution.
This low should include heavy punishment for traffickers, and sex abusers. It should have clear and specific provision for victim protection, victim compensation, exemplary fine of the accused, steps for preventing victimization finally it should also provide reintegration and rehabilitation of victims.
National Moniteering Agency:
Trafficking is an organised crime and a continued offence which spreads from countries to countries around the globe. Hence it should be monitored through a central agency which can coordinate the various activities related to trafficking. It should also act as a Resource Centre.
Integrated Approach:
Prevention of the crime protection and rehabilitation of victims and prosecution of the victimizers should be done in an integrated manner so that checking immoral trafficking can be possible. By providing legal and psychological counselling to the victims and reintegrating them with the community are essential aspects of integrated approach. They should also be economically and socially helped.
Sensitizing Programme:
The victims of prostitution and sex crimes should be handled cautiously as it is a sensitive matter. Handling the victims without sensitivity causes re-victimization.
The sensitization programmes should include law enforcement officials, govt. departments, N.G.O.s., Lawyers, academicians, prosecutors and judicial officers and a curriculum should be developed including case studies, which would indicate the true and correct picture in the field. Hence it appears that though combating illegal trafficking in women and children is a complex and difficult job it is not impossible.