The police are there to protect the public but women and the elderly are so scared of going to them for help that they prefer to suffer in silence rather than risk filing a complaint
News channels sometimes call it ‘latest headlines’ and sometimes ‘breaking news’. There are reports how policemen are slapping or insulting women publicly. It makes me wonder if there is a trend hereIJ Of course, the ‘latest news’ on TV is how a constable walked naked in front of his neighbour’s house.
The constable in question would walk out wearing a towel and then urinate outside the neighbour’s door as the old man went for a walk. If this was not enough, the constable would then take off the towel causing a public nuisance. The behaviour started after a minor fight last Holi. The cop in question has since then been arrested but it brings to light the unruly behaviour of cops in general. It is for this reason that most people don’t go to the police to file a complaint.
The aam admi, especially the women and the elderly prefer to suffer in silence than go to a police station that is how scared they are. Rapes, acid attacks and even murders — the most recent is that of a Manipuri student — may have caught the media’s attention. But there are many such cases that go unnoticed. Confidence in the police in non-existent today.
But it doesn’t rule out the fact that there are many women who are now coming out in the open and reporting their abuse. Social activism and work being done by some NGOs has ensured that a woman’s voice is now being heard. After decades of remaining silent, women want justice. The fact that there are many women who are now at the top of their profession, that there are many more women politicians has given the rest of them the confidence to stand up for themselves. But there is still a long way to go. To remain in the system and fight it in a male dominated society is not easy. Finding a way to fight this is an uphill battle. Rectifying this is not easy. The fact that some of our leaders often take the soft stand on women-related issues adds to the problem.
To bring about nay change, we must change our mindset and attitude. And social change that takes place in the society must change an individual's attitude as well. It has to be a battle that needs to be fought together. No single person or an institution can bring about a change. Public participation is must.
To pacify the common man, politicians take refuse in ‘there is need for social awareness’. By doing so, they shift the blame from themselves, from the breakdown in the law and order in the country and from the political games that are being played. The answer which nobody wants to address is the need to exercise control over the system. The cop on the street needs to be told that he is a public servant, hence he must do everything to help the common man. There is need to increase the number of women cops. There is need to train the cops to be gender sensitive. The training must be giving to every cop — at the district level to the top cop in the city. For quick and effective results, every Government employee needs to do his duty diligently.
Cops deal with people and criminals daily. But they must be able to differentiate between a criminal and a victim. A personal touch is a must. Words like mataji, amma, behenji or even beti leads to instant connect the local police chowkis need to be patient and have self-help groups to assist them. But nothing succeeds unless it has participation of everybody involved.