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Women at risk
G.G. MENON
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Today the hold of religion and tradition on sexual mores is weakening in most parts of the country
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Nirad C. Chaudhuri in his inimitable way once said that the average Indian suffered from the sex-in-mind-fear-at-heart syndrome. If the all-too-frequent cases of rape and abduction of women reported from different parts of India are any indication, it seems the second part of the syndrome is no more valid and the average Indian male is well on his way to becoming a satyr.
Today, the hold of religion and tradition on sexual mores is slowly weakening in most parts of the country. Where it is not so, it may happen sooner than later as we move closer and closer to the concept of a networked global village.
To add to the increasingly permissive social trends, sections of our mainstream cinema and the electronic media go on peddling sleaze and soft porn without any kind of let-up.
Whether it is TV ads for selling biscuits or condoms or launch of a new car model or the inaugural ceremony for the Twenty20 World Cup, no promotional activity seems to be complete without somehow bringing in women in scanty clothes to ‘sex’ things up.
As if all these were not enough, to cater to the tastes of the prurient ones among TV audiences, there are people actively working to promote sports like beach volleyball and women’s wrestling (the common thread being the scanty clothing of the participants), though ostensibly they do it out of love for these sports.
While the titillating images of women shown in films/TV cannot be the only reason for the increase in crimes against them, there is no doubt that it does reinforce a certain male view of women which can perceive them only as objects of pleasure.
A civilised society needs to ensure that the beast in man is kept in check, not enticed. The starting point could be to ensure that the electronic media/films are not allowed to show images of women which reduce them to mere sex objects. But, one realises that this is a tall order given the fact that such restrictions are likely to get embroiled in legal controversies in our country. A far more effective way would be for women themselves not to associate with any thing or activity which demeans not only them but also their gender as a whole.
Whenever any kind of protest is made against ‘commodification’ of the female body, immediately the protesters are condemned by a section of the mainstream media for trying to do ‘moral policing.’
Willing acceptance
If champions of women’s rights are really serious about improving the lot of women, they should first do something about the willing acceptance of thousands of women to be reduced to mere objects of pleasure for film and TV viewing males.
Side by side, our law needs to be given more teeth to come down heavily on people who commit crimes against women. One recalls Biju Patnaik characteristically recommending castration as punishment for rapists. While Biju babu might have gone just a bit too far, there is no denying that for ensuring the safety of women, the punishment for rapes and other crimes against women needs to be swift and exemplary enough to strike terror in the mind of any potential wrong-doer.
In the ultimate analysis, crimes like rape and that typically Indian hobby of “eve teasing” reflect the deeply ingrained male-oriented attitudes of a patriarchal society. Therefore, in the long run, the best way to root out such deviant behaviour is to work on the minds of children when they are in their formative years.
Right from when they are young, boys need to be told that girls also have a mind and personality of their own and are as entitled to dignity and freedom of choice as they are. This kind of sensitising the boy child to the other sex is the best way to ensure a safe world for women.
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