Our society is in a constant state of change like any society should be-growing, evolving and adapting to new ideas, technology, at times natural calamities, political upheavals or epidemics. Most of the times the changes are for the better, often aided by the efforts of the activists and lessons learnt from a highly connected world. However, sometimes the changes are less than desirable and creep upon us out of nowhere or are abetted by extreme agendas.
If someone were to ask me a few years ago about the main scourges of our people, my answer would spontaneously have been casteism, illiteracy, child labour, dowry and terrorism. However, in the past few years we have seen a latent change in our surroundings. Taking stock of the current situation in the country has compelled me to add to this list - mob lynching, communalism and gang rapes.
Reports of eve teasing, physical and sexual assault, molestation and gang rapes in newspapers and news channels have become almost a daily occurrence. Such incidences are not restricted to a region and religion, villages or towns, young or old, rich or poor.
It almost seems as if no woman is safe in this country. One wonders why this sudden spurt in crimes against women? On the one hand, we expect our girls to scale the heights of success in every possible field while on the other we cannot ensure their basic safety.
It is most reprehensible to think that we live in a society where half our population is under constant threat and is the victim of the most heinous of crimes against humanity.
From many cases in the past, we have seen that the perpetrators of such horrific crimes generally go scot-free, even in high profile cases such as that of Jessica Lal, which had caught the national imagination or other cases. The judicial system is excruciatingly slow and often much delayed and justice delayed is justice denied. Can we as civil society be just mute spectators? Does the State have no responsibility at all? This is the impression I get in my State of Uttarakhand. Also known as Devbhumi, Uttarakhand has recently been rocked by heart-wrenching episodes of gang-rapes. While I was writing this piece, we hear of another school girl in a boarding school having to face horrific sexual assault by her own school mates and the inaction of the school authority.
In all these cases, the victims were young girls not far from their homes or comfort zones. More than two months have gone by in two of these cases and we don’t have any definitive movement in the investigations into these crimes. What makes it all the more shocking is the apathy of the State Government and inertia in taking quick and effective steps.
The State Government recently decided to abandon its scheme of establishing all women police stations citing various administrative reasons. Let’s not forget that Uttarakhand is known for its ‘Matr/Stri Shakti’. Women of this State have been known to be at the forefront of social, cultural, environmental and political movements.
Women of Uttarakhand have played a crucial role in Chipko Andolan as well as in the movement which culminated in the formation of Uttarakhand State. For all their contributions in the social, cultural and economic growth of the State, the least we can do is provide them a safe space to flourish and achieve their dreams.
This then leads us to the question: how do we check this menace? There are a whole host of measures that need to be put in place ranging from creating social awareness to establishing fast-track courts for dispensing speedy justice. However, the State Government needs to realise that it is primarily its responsibility to establish the rule of law and to create an environment in which every citizen of the State, irrespective of their gender, feels safe and secure. Equally important is to establish an atmosphere of zero tolerance towards the law breakers and those who aid and abet in such crimes. Some simple administrative measures could go a long way in addressing the problem.
These include establishment of 24/7 helplines for women, recruitment of more women in the police force, establishment of all-women police stations, identification of a nodal point in every district for providing timely assistance to women in distress, running public transport for use by women only or the pink buses as they are often referred to, ensuring working women are not employed in night shifts (in urban areas), making it mandatory for employers to provide safe transport to their women employees should they get late at work, training girls in schools/colleges in techniques of self-defence, providing dedicated toilets for women and installing CCTV cameras in all public places. This is not an exhaustive list as many other local solutions could be included.
However, most important of them all is that the State Government has to be responsible, accountable and answerable to its people.
Let us all join our efforts, individually, as a community as well as a society to make our State of Uttarakhand a place which is safe and secure for our women, for our children, for each one of us.
Let us uphold the rich tradition of the mountains where each member is valued and no one ever feels left out or threatened in any way. Let us once again become a model society for everyone to follow.
(Having worked at the United Nations in Geneva after graduating from NALSAR University of Law and London School of Economics, the author is a social activist in Uttarakhand. Views expressed are personal)