Crimes against woman: An abuse of trust

Crimes against woman: An abuse of trust

Thursday, January 30, 2014 -

Sharada Sunder

• RNA Research & Archives

Either the media has become more vigilant and especially reports crimes committed against women, or crime in general – and against women, in particular – is seeing a worrisome rise.  

The recent cases in the news have left us aghast, more so because the crimes are being committed by people who are supposed to be the protectors! Nirbhaya, the innocent passenger who got into a bus, was attacked and killed by the very people who were supposed to help her reach her destination safely. How was she to avoid this attack? 

In the ever-challenging lives led by people, religious or spiritual gurus promise relief to those who seek them out for advice and comfort.  What can be more disgusting than an aged guru raping the young daughter of his own devotee? The Asaram Bapu incident a few months ago shocked us all.

The TV show Satyamev Jayate brought to the fore the unbelievable sexual crimes committed by family members on the unsuspecting young children in their family, threatening them into silence and scarring them for life. 

Just last week, the headlines screamed about a young lady being assaulted by the security guard of her residential complex. Then there was the young professional who, while returning home after the Christmas holidays, was abducted from the railway station, assaulted and killed. 

There is no doubt moral values are dipping dangerously. The values that are usually passed down by parents, schools and religious groups have either not succeeded in their purpose, or the people have completely forgotten that these are their responsibilities. 

These crimes are done with complete awareness of them being immoral and inhuman, yet they are done. This is possible when there is no fear of law. And there is definitely a lack of fear. The perpetrators are confident they will not get caught, or know that they can find ways to escape the law. This also implies poor governance. 

Life is meant to be lived in trust, not in blind trust. Only then can one truly live it fully. A life where you can trust no one is a sad state we are evolving into. 

While safety is a must, everyone could do with a little dose of spirituality while growing up, which will sow the seeds of love and humanity. That will be the proactive way to help people grow into human beings, and not border on being animals.

The police should take each of these crimes seriously and governments across states should be mandated to work not only towards punishing the perpetrators promptly, but also ensure counselling and help to avoid repeat crimes. None of these are a new ask. It’s their job, and it’s high time it’s done, and done well. Excuses of any kind are just not tolerable anymore. 

We wish to leave a better world for the generations to follow, one where trust is not abused. And each one of us needs to play our part in this. I would like to quote a few lines from Sameer Samant’s poem: