Praveen Kumar Sharma
The subject of Women’s Security has been on fire these days. It has always been a concern for many people and communities around the world. It becomes apparent when we look at those various incidents taking place around the world, wherein the identity of woman has been misunderstood by a few individuals in the society and an attempt to harm a woman’s social status has been made.
Recent incident of gang-rape in Delhi, the capital of India, has aggravated the subject of women’s security which was somewhere buried under the soil. The protest march and demands of the people who have been picketing outside the India Gate have also forced the governments to once again think upon the laws that claim protection to women in the society. Delhi is not the only state where such an incident has taken place. The statistics available online are horrifying and horrifying enough to force a person to think “In what kind of society am I living in and in which direction will it turn in near future.”
In such a situation, we all will think that the governments should do something to tackle this global issue. Some law or some kind of reform must be brought in, to put a stop on such incidents.
But here what we need to realize is that the government and its enacted law alone is not sufficient enough to protect a woman. These laws can instill fear within the minds of the criminals, but is that it! What’s the use of the law if the basic mindset of an individual in the society is not changing? The basic mindset and the basic values of an individual needs to be shaken from the roots.
I do not say that particular law should not be there. Law is necessary and should be grounded on the values of non-violence. As we all know that government is formed by the people of the society. So if the people are not changing, then the reform brought by government will only be a temporary solution or a solution that will reduce the number marginally.
A violent nature and disrespect for the other gender somewhere plays a role behind such acts. Our basic values need to teach a child about how every individual in the society is equal. Every person is important in the society and that every individual needs to be respected. When this sense of equality and respect for each other arises in the minds of both the genders, the occurrence of such brutal events can drop down significantly.
When a young boy is taught – and when he observes in his surroundings – that man and woman are different, that man is more powerful and has more rights in this society, when that child is not taught that what is wrong and what is not, when that child is not instilled with a sense of standing up for what is right even if the wrong person on the other hand is a relative or a group of friends, and when the child grows up with a false understanding that the opposite gender is only a means of his physical satisfaction, then that child’s character is really at stake.
Unless we as individuals of society understand these facts, governments and their laws can only limit such incidents and crime, not remove them from their roots. Man and woman are equally a part of society. Without either of them, the society is incomplete. Man and woman complement each other and hence situations can become dreadful if either of the gender becomes overpowering or develops a false belief of superiority over the other. Woman might not be having enough physical strength compared to man, but that alone does not proclaim a man as superior.
A child must be taught that man and woman are integral part of the society and both of them need to move ahead in coexistence with each other. When violence becomes the root of an upbringing, it will reflect in every action and behaviour of an individual. Hence, the seeds of non-violence – not the seeds of violence or gender discrimination – must be sown right from the start. Violence is not just causing physical harm but also an action that harms a living being mentally.
The day the society learns these values, that day the dream of women’s security will be achieved in reality. Thus in real sense, it is the society rather than the government which needs to think about bringing in a change in the direction of women’s security.
