Page 67 - English Tehelka Issue 3&4

ideas

Sexual assault: A direct

result of patriarchy

string of brutal rapes has
enGender A orthodox backgrounds are unable to cope
with the culture shock they get when they
shocked us yet again. News of
set foot in a modern environment. When a
horrific sexual assaults that
revolution make headlines almost every person who is used to seeing women being
other day has become the new
treated like domestic slaves and not being
Ridhima normal. It disturbs us momentarily and we allowed to go out of their homes without
malhotRa get back to our normal lives until the next permission, starts to co-exist with wom-
en who live independent lives and take
ghastly violation of a female — be it a little
girl or a grown woman — is flashed across their own decisions themselves, he fails
our television and phone screens. to comprehend that it’s a normal thing to
The writer, Executive A spurt in the number of rape cases do. When he comes across a woman who
Editor of Tehelka, is an can be rightly attributed to more peo- openly talks to men, wears short clothes,
unapologetic feminist ple coming out, with changing times and goes out at night, consumes alcohol — all
mindsets, to report the terrible crime and the things that only men (or ‘loose women’)
seek justice. Nonetheless, rape is hap- are sanctioned to do — there is an urge to
pening at alarming rates in every nook control her, prevent her from claiming a
and corner of our country, irrespective of share of male privilege, teach her a lesson
the levels of development of the region. for getting into male territory. Where feudal
What is the reason behind such large-scale mindsets persist, women’s sexualities are
sexual violence? owned, controlled and stifled.
In male-dominated societies, wom - It’s very important that the quality of
en are treated as properties rather than compassion is inculcated in little boys so
human beings with their own desires and that they grown up to be men who treat
rights. Women are considered beholders everyone with dignity. Unfortunately,
of their families’ and communities’ hollow being emotional and sensitive are consid-
sense of honour. Sexual assault is a behav- ered to be feminine traits and males are
ioural crime in which the perpetrator feels encouraged to shun these natural char-
that he is more powerful not just physically acteristics at young ages. Boys must
but also because he is a man. According to be brought up to be kind and humane
The battle psychologists, sexual offenders don’t see instead of being filled with empty and false
notions of masculinity. It’s also very impor-
their victims as persons but as objects. Many
between a men have been conditioned to see women tant that women are taught to take their own
parochial as objects. The man’s upbringing and im- decisions from a very young age. Psycholo-
gists believe that women who are emo-
mediate environment play an important
mindset and role. From childhood, boys are given pref- tionally strong, outspoken and assertive
can protect themselves. If a woman’s body
erential treatment over their sisters and
the new-found they grow up seeing their mothers being language is assertive, the offender will be
values of a ill-treated by their fathers. It is only normal discouraged; docile and submissive women
for them to grow up believing that men are
are easy targets of assault.
liberal culture, far more superior than women who are Perpetrators of crime are also encour-
in which women meant to be controlled. aged by low rate of conviction. The feeling
that one can get away from the law leads
It is the battle between the patriarchal
are equal, has mindset in the country and the new-found them on to commit crime. It is thus impor-
resulted in a rise values of a liberal culture that has resulted tant that sexual offenders are brought to
justice swiftly and sternly and that the right
in a rise in sexual violence against women.
in sexual crimes As more people are migrating to cities and precedents are set.
against women as the demography of small towns is chang- ridhima@tehelka.com
ing, there is a clash of cultures. People from

Tehelka / 28 february 2018 66 www.Tehelka.com

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