NO, it’s not about harshening the punishment and hanging the culprits anymore; nor about handing over these cold-blooded monsters to the public for immediate justice (that actually is not), even if the highly competent yet somehow faulty Indian Judicial system takes years (sometimes decades) to resolve the case. Similarly, neither it is about increasing the patrolling of police/guards, nor installing more CCTV cameras in public places. These developments will of course bring some positive changes, however, will not put a permanent full stop to the menace of sexual harassment per se, and thus won’t suffice.
Every single day, tens of thousands of women across the globe (yes, India is not the only country where women are forced to bear such misery. They have been at the receiving end of all sorts of crime - conventional and non in other countries as well) – from the elitist European nations and the global superpower USA to the not-so-developed African countries; from the drug havens in Latin America to Asia’s defence and economy majors, women are exposed to day-to-day complexities in varying intensities in most parts of the world.
Ogling women in public places, brushing through their bodies in confined spaces of public transport, stalking them with all the wrong intentions on social media platforms, teasing, and making sexual advances against them at the workplace/on commute/public places, and the worst of all, breaching all the limits of humanity and painting black on their dignity by sexually harassing them (many a time in a group); as I am writing this, somewhere, some subliterate, oppressed, unemployed/poorly employed man is indulging in one of the above.
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| Photo by Maxim Hopman on Unsplash |
However, it is not so that they are always the intellectually retarded or economically-distressed men who get into all this. On an everyday basis, I come across many a man, high on intellectual stature, coming from well-to-do families, and earning handsome salaries falling down to the same levels.
This brings us to the paramount agenda of this post. What exactly is the solution to get rid of this and make the world a safe place for women? I have already ruled out several so-called solutions that are frequently brainstormed and suggested every now and then by people (at times sensible and scholarly) out there. Reason being, either they are compromised on moral or ethical standards, or don’t suit altogether in a nation governed by the rule of law, or aren’t really feasible in a country that is home to over 1.4 bn people.
Crimes against women could be divided into various degrees with the recent formidable turn of events in Kolkata and the infamous Nirbhaya gang rape case in Delhi (bringing the nation down to her knees in shame) taking the top spot in terms of the most deplorable and heinous crimes against women. Once in months or years horrific crimes like these come to light, catch everyone’s attention, and create intense waves across the country. But, we must not forget that almost every other day in some part of the country, such crimes, equally serious are somehow getting buried under the garb of incompetency and compromised moral standards of police/politicians/officials.
The quintessential key to this concern that has plagued the lives of tens of millions of women lies in revamping the mental conditioning of men of all ages and all classes- young or adult, rich or poor, moral or immoral, well-read or dumb. All men over the age of five or when their conscience gets developed a bit should go through an intricately planned curriculum centred around ‘how to treat women well, why they must be respected, and ultimately- why the otherwise isn’t just acceptable’. This may not bring desirable overnight changes and make the typical sexual offenders quit their mis-habits or control their sickening urges, but in the long run, for sure, will give birth to an ideal narrative that will leave no place for anyone to commit such crimes (heinous no question), and will gradually become a societal norm. It may seem quite challenging for the time being, but this, unfortunately, is the only way to deal with this. Why so? This problem is so inextricably hinged into the roots of Indian men that no extrinsic push or strike can actually bring significant relief now, and the only solution that lies is the intrinsic one – i.e. working on the mental conditioning of men.
But, why has it become that important now and why there hasn't remained any scope for lacklustre efforts anymore? One must understand that it is not so that the human-faced demon who mutilated the body and soul of the young doctor at the RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata wasn’t aware of the terrible repercussions this crime would invite for him. He must be well aware of the fact that the police would be catching him in no time and his (along with his family’s) entire life will take a tragic plunge. Still, he committed the crime with all audacity (and possibly with a perverted smile). This, at least, clears one thing that people like Sanjay Roy (the alleged accused) and hundreds more like him are mercilessly intrepid and have absolutely no fear of law in their minds. Getting into the gravity of this, we must all realise that there’s literally nothing more dangerous than a criminal who has buried the fear of punishment. These people are no inferior to terrorists who are committed to taking as many human lives as possible for abiding with their fundamentalist beliefs; similarly, it is abnormally normal for these monsters to ruin the life of any woman out of their diseased lust/revenge/madness.
I know, that strategically preparing a curriculum for re-conditioning over five hundred mn men over the age of five, and then floating it to such a huge scale is a herculean task; but, when we compare this to the other potential solutions, this is going to be way more facile, and will be far more impactful in the longer run. Plus, when the technological boom is touching the glories of the wildest of our imagination, above really won't be a next-worldly feat.
To give life to the above aspirational idea, some highly-qualified and subject-matter experts from central and state governments, industrial bodies, and local administration, as well as reputed sociologists, doctors, and other field-specific individuals, should be integrated into a high-powered committee, that will first draft the curriculum, and further plan for its nation-wide enrollment. No man - no matter how moral, ethical, rich, principled, or of a crystal-clear character should be exempted from the above. Those from the top echelons to those living in penury, all men should be made to register, and diligently complete the 'conditioning program'. This 'selectivism' will breed a pandora’s box of limitations and drastically minimise the effectiveness of the entire move.
Agree that the above measures will take pretty long a time for their fruits to develop, however, once they do, the country will witness utopian results in this regard that no one would have expected for sure.
May all women be safe,
May all men be sensitised enough.