SAFE WOMEN- A SYMBOL OF SAFE SOCIETY

Woman… A mother, a sister, a daughter, and a wife. The four most beautiful relations given to all human beings by God are through women. She is the one who nurtures the whole family, and is burdened with unlimited responsibilities but still manages to smile through trouble. She carries children, carries hardships, but she holds happiness, love, and joy. She sings when she wants to cry. She sobs when she is happy. She loves unconditionally.

But here comes the ‘Yet’. From time immemorial, women have been subdued in one form or the other by society. This ‘yet’ started in the medieval period when a woman became a victim of ‘Sati’, incinerated alive on her husband’s funeral pyre; became subject to ‘Jauhar’, sacrificing her life on the defeat of her father or husband;?and turned into ‘Devdasini’. She was also forced into Child Marriage at an age when she did not even know the meaning of marriage, and pressurized to bear children when she was neither physically, nor mentally prepared.

Times have changed and so has the position of women in India. But the positive aspects of these changes have been overshadowed by the unchanged mindset of modern society. Today, a typical Indian woman is the most vulnerable victim of domestic violence, sexual abuse and is a source of dowry. Further, the rising maternal mortality rates, female foeticides, and the declining sex ratio are strong evidence of the increasing discrimination against women.

Starting from home, “As a woman of the house, you should…” is a familiar refrain from the spouse and in-laws of the meek bride, non-compliance of which leads to verbal abuse against her, silent screams and sometimes, even death. Women’s clothing is one of the externally imposed recommendations, banked by various judgments. So, talk about the fairer sex not getting a fair deal is now common.

Reminiscing Mahatma Gandhi’s quote, “I will accept that we got real freedom only when our women folk can safely and fearlessly frequent outside their homes, even in the middle of the night.” What Bapu meant was the protection that all men would offer to the females and assure their well-being at all times. But this still remains far from reality. ?As such, the current situation is that as more and more women are breaking out of the shackles that bind them to their homes, seeking opportunities in the world outside, crimes against women- from murder to rape, down to eve-teasing and sexual harassment- are on the rise.

This leads us to a single conclusion in bold letters: Our society is certainly not safe for females; be it an unborn girl, a teenager, a married lady or an elderly woman.

The twenty-first century is said to be the most dynamic of all, which has been producing in large numbers, quick-witted, like-minded leaders capable of transforming the entire scenario of our society. India itself has been successful in creating several benchmarks by following the path of progress. But this progress is of no use unless it is recognized. Our ‘Bharat Mata’ cannot raise her head and can never challenge the world unless she receives all her children's respect. This respect accounts for the respect of the women folk in our country. True, the ever-blamed government has tried to do whatever it could to make India a better place for women. Yet, a large number of women are either ill-equipped or not in a position to propel themselves out of their traditionally unsatisfactory socioeconomic conditions

It is well known that a state is a ‘union of families and villages’ and a family is the basic unit of society, which is the foundation of state itself. Happy families create a healthy society and a healthy society is a pre-requisite of strong political order in democratic nations. A woman is an architect of society. She establishes the institution of family life, builds the home, brings up the children, and makes them good citizens. Her strength in totality contributes to the making of an ideal family, ideal society, and an ideal state.

Hence, the struggle for a safe society starts with the physical as well as spiritual liberation of women. The women will have to wake up and rise against the criminal mindset gaining ground in society. For instance, wouldn’t it be amazing if all the mothers start imprinting in their sons’ heads that the responsibility of a man, collectively, of all human beings, is to treat all people with equal respect? Surely, such an upbringing can have a great effect on their behaviour as citizens. At the same time, the schools, government, public, as well as private, should take initiative to inculcate among both girls and boys, the values of love and respect for the fairer sex.

The safety of women should not be a mere legislative exercise. It is infact to teach ‘Her’ the real value of her own self as an individual. She has to discover her own position and honour. From the land of whims and fancies, she has to migrate to the land of action and spiritual awakening. Her safety lies inside her and in her ability to rise above the status of a mere ‘object of desire’ to a respected individual.

Can she do it? This is a common challenge.