How to solve the problem of rape?

“Rape “has become a term that can be seen daily in news and just like a termite it is undermining the roots of India. In an hour a girl is raped in India and there are many cases that go unreported making the number even more.
Recently Dr Indira Sharma, President of the Indian Psychiatric Society has said that early marriage can solve the problem of rape in India. To prove her viewpoint she said that as soon as a boy starts earning his parents lose 50% control over him and then he is free to drink, smoke etc. In Dr Indira Sharma’s wording “One of the advantages of early marriage is that it is a socially acceptable channel for sexual desire”.

Do you think this is the solution? If yes then why in India there are many examples of married men engaging in this heinous act. In previous society when marriages were performed at an early age there were more moral and cultural values in India. Society was less exposed to the outer world. Today media along with progressive things also show serials like crime patrol etc in which the act of crime is shown very elaborately. You never know what thing may strike a man with criminal thinking. So there should be some restriction on media as well. Then greater and easy access to pornography is one of the main reasons why rape cases are increasing in India. Though selling of such material is prohibited in India but still almost all the cities have CD and video stores selling blue movies. Hence it is not the early marriage that is going to solve the endemic of rape in India but inculcation of moral values that can bring change in the society.

Further according to one spiritual leader girls should always carry “Rakhis” with them. They should call a person ‘brother’ who would try to rape them and immediately tie Rakhi on his wrist. Again a mind blowing statement and what a great solution to this problem. So girls please start carrying Rakhis in your bags and use this as weapon whenever required. But why everything has to start and end at women and there are no instructions for men who are responsible for all these. Instead of keeping such things, girls should learn the tricks of self defense and these tricks will always be with them.

All these statements really make you think about the leaders leading us and our nation. How with such mentality we are going to find and implement solution to this problem. All of us must stand and clearly say who is wrong and who needs to be changed. This has been very well demonstrated at India Gate after the rape case of 16th Dec 2012.But what has happened after that. Long discussion at various news channels, sympathy of politicians, candle march in various cities of India has resulted in almost nothing. Criminals especially that juvenile is free to roam. Then there will be another crime. Media and public will be after that. But there won’t be any satisfactory result.

So the way our system and judiciary has evolved with time is a problem in itself and leads to an increase in the rape and other crimes against women. Corruption and bribe is there in almost every department and with money you can get any work done. Police is meant for rich and always take care of them. In the recent rape case police has acted very swiftly in finding the rapists. All the six persons involved were from the lower strata. Now let us think that what would have happened if instead of them some high profile persons were involved. Would the police have shown the same swiftness in finding the real culprits? Probably no. So it is the responsibility of the judiciary and police to act in a similar manner whether it is dealing with rich or poor. After all crime is a crime and culprit should not escape from punishment. He should have the fear of police. At present there is no such thing called fear in the society. In Feb 2013 again a drunkard cable operator has pushed a rod in the mouth of 19-year old woman at Jal Vihar near Lajpat Nagar, Delhi as she raised her voice in order to save her from a man who tried to rape her at her home.

Another problem with our society is thinking. Most of us still think that both the genders are unequal and men are still superior. That is why every couple prays for a boy child not a girl child. Women are still called “the weaker sex”. Why? Because God has made women physically weak and above that created man to think that she is his property. Still in India, females since childhood have to sacrifice one or the other thing as sisters for their brothers. It is their duty to take care of the household work when they grow up. And once they are married then they do not have right to even think but they can act only according to the instructions of her husband. It is not that only man teaches this in the family but also mothers and grandmothers do the same thing. So not only men but females are against females. This mentality has to be changed. Do not consider her as an object but treat her as a human being who has feeling, gets tired after work, needs time and require all what is given to a man.

Just one solution won’t solve the entire problem. Everything needs to be changed from mindset, the way males and females are treated in India, their up bringing to fear of police and punishment, our system of working, respect for opposite gender. To create fear an example must be set for rapists. We really need to have a mindset to solve the issue of rape then for sure all the things would be in place and there won’t be any rape case in India.