S K Rekhi
A national Daily carried a news captioned “Country celebrating the girl child day” on 24th January and on the same day the Daily Excelsior flashed a news captioned “Human trafficking racket busted, 6 arrested”. The kingpin Altaf Ahmed of Trikulbul Pattan, besides some other issues, stated that we purchased two women from Jharkhand for Rs.300.00 & Rs.500.00. S.H.O. Pattan said that the modus operendi of the accused persons was that they would sell these women to men and manage their escape and then resell them to another prospective groom to earn money through human trafficking. Altaf Ahmed’s statement regarding consideration (amount of money) appears to be incorrect as at this price of a chicken, no woman could be purchased or sold when the spiralling price rise is touching the sky.
Even otherwise, the great progress made by our class controlled democracy, during the self rule of 65 years has not ignored the progress of such rates. National media reports about the series of news of trafficking of young women from eastern parts of India, M.P., Bihar and some other parts where the development reaches only during the election days.
Asma Jahangir, the eminent Human Rights activist of Pakistan, some years back, briefed the press, saying that many young girls are sold in some parts of Pakistan by open auction. There, as she says, the sale is by open auction whereas in our system the condition of poverty stricken women is still worse, “but behind the curtains raised by the flesh trade mafia with or without the connivance of the police force. Long back B.B.C. produced a short film on the red light areas of Calcutta which showed the very pitiable condition of hundreds of such women who, being the creation of the lesser God are not considered as a part of this democracy except during election days when just for minor gains or against some false promises they do as advised. Woman in India, by remaining under domination of the man since centuries, has a long history of suffering in this patriarchal society. During Manu era, and thereafter, her condition became worse. She became an unwelcome burden on a family and its assets.
She was even deprived of the human rights by forcing her to child marriage. Very many parents greeted her with death penalty just on arrival and her ratio compared to man’s ratio speaks about innumerable murders committed by male child hungry parents. The advancement of science has now reduced the pain of such cruel couples as she is now killed in the mother’s womb itself. Even at this time, when the woman enjoys as good rights as a man does and she can be an asset to the family in many ways, 78 percent parents in India perform all sorts of social rituals and all sorts of prayers with a wish to be blessed with a male child. The national press carried a news on 13th January that an engineer of Uttar Pradesh killed his B.Com Final daughter in a fit of depression that he has no son. His wife got the F.I.R. registered against him. Change in man’s sensitivities about woman’s image, in our man dominated society has drastically reduced her to an object instead of respectworthy woman as a sister, mother or daughter.
Some social reformers, eminent Urdu poets like Qateel Shafaai, Kaifi Aazmi and some others tried to improve the image and condition of the Indian woman but this man controlled society gave them a little space. Post independence era made the man more arrogant as the highly corrupt system made him richer and more powerful by short cuts, his money power purchased the muscle power and the power of some nation state’s institutions and this new generation man is so pampered that he can not afford to listen ‘No’ to his demands.
Invasion of the foreign culture, where virginity is sold by open offers, where dating partners are changed very often, where chastity of a woman is not as big a thing as in India, portrayal of women as a sex provoking object in films, T.V. programmes and in advertisements, unchecked use of liquor and drugs made the woman more vulnerable and highly insecure. In making her so insecure and a very soft target of eve teasing, kidnappings, rapes, gang rapes and other crimes, police force is directly responsible.If she is not safe even in the womb of her mother where else can she be safe, Delhi or any where else in India. National Crime Report Bureau says that a rape occurs every 30 minutes in India as per the reported cases and how many cases go unreported, because of the fear of stigma, God knows. Rape is the fastest growing crime in India which Delhi Police Chief says is due to prolonged judicial process.
The national press in the last week of December reported that a Mayanmar court sentenced a father to 48 years imprisonment who raped his minor daughter whereas such bloody fathers in Mumbai and Delhi were sentenced to 7 years and 8 years imprisonment respectively during December 2012. Time taken by the subordinate judiciary in India in deciding cases of crimes against women is also adding fuel to the fire.
The crime against women has reached a stage where the 16/12 Delhi Paramedico girl’s gang-rape and murder case has shaken the conscience of the nation and has, besides exposing the hollowness of the State authority of governance, has compelled the state to make immediate corrections in the system wherever necessary as any more delay could sound the bugle of complete anarchy. Many steps have to be urgently taken by the judiciary, security agencies and the Govt. on the suggestions and recommendations made by the eminent jurists, intellectuals, journalists, media-men, writers and politicians, the credit whereof goes to the bold gang-rape murder victim and the software engineer accompanying her.
(The author is former Additional Secretary to Government)
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