Atrocities Against Women

Male violence against women is a worldwide phenomenon. Although not every woman has experienced it, and many expect not to, fear of violence is an important factor in the lives of most women. It determines what they do, when they do it, where they do it, and with whom. Fear of violence is a cause of women's lack of participation in activities beyond the home, as well as inside it. Within the home, women and girls may be subjected to physical and sexual abuse as punishment or as culturally justified assaults. These acts shape their attitude to life, and their expectations of themselves
There are various forms of crime against women. Sometimes, it begins even before their birth, sometimes in the adulthood and other phrases of life. In the Indian society, the position of women is always perceived in relation to the man, from birth onwards and at every stage of life, she is dependent on him. This perception has given birth to various social customs and practices. One important manifestation of these customs and practices has been that of Sati. It is seen as a pinnacle of achievement for a woman. This custom of self-immolation of the widow on her husband's pyre was an age-old practice in some parts of the counter, which received deification. The popular belief ran that the goddess enters into the body of the woman who resolves to become a sati. The practice of sati has been abolished by law with the initiative of Raja Ram Mohan Roy in the early decades of nineteenth century. However, there has been a significant revival of the practice of sati in the last few decades. Indeed, Rajasthan has been the focal point for this practice in recent years.
Violence against women both inside and outside of their home has been a crucial issue in the contemporary Indian society. Women in India constitute near about half of its population and most of them are grinding under the socio-cultural and religious structures. One gender has been controlling the space of the India's social economic, political and religious fabric since time immemorial.
Not just as political agenda, cases of women atrocities and abuse must be seen from a social perspective. They are considered to be the decent half of the society, yet they live a life of vulnerability. They fall victim to atrocities and the criminal instincts of people of their own community with whom they grow from a baby girl to a woman. While the much hyped case of alleged assault and attempt to kill the 19 year old girl from a Dalit family of Arjungoda village under Pipili Police Station in Odisha’s Puri district hit the headlines of almost all media and impacted politics in the state where a minister had to quit the cabinet to save the face of the government, a series of cases of attacks and atrocities on women have raised questions on the safety of women in the society. A few months back, a girl student in Odisha’s Baliapal also fell victim to the demonic instincts of some men. Another girl who was travelling by bus was not dropped at the destination and was allegedly raped by the bus driver and other staff. In the month of January 2012 alone, about 10 cases of rape, rape and murder, assault and attempt to murder have been registered. About 4,100 cases under section 376 (rape) were registered in different police stations of Odisha during the last three years. This statistic is not only shocking but is also a stark indication of how women have become vulnerable to the unmanly instincts of men in the society. “The incident shows how the society, once ruled by morals, is getting detached from the roots of it and how individual morals are being degraded,” says N A Shah Ansari.
While moral degradation is one of the primary reasons behind the increase in the number of cases, the mechanism that should act strongly to locate the culprits and book them under law is also failing to deliver.
Indian law does not differentiate between major and minor rape. In every ten-rape case, six are of minor girls. In every seven minutes a crime is committed against women in India. Every 26 minutes a woman is molested. Every 34 minutes a rape takes place. Every 42 minutes a sexual harassment incident occurs. Every 43 minutes a woman is kidnapped. And every 93 minutes a woman is burnt to death over dowry. One-quarter of the reported rapes involve girls under the age of 16 but the vast majority are never reported. Although the penalty is severe, convictions are rare.
The first and foremost questions are why and how a woman becomes vulnerable to the violent instincts of people with whom she grew up from childhood? Why the society that often behaves to be protective fails to protect and uphold the rights of women and secure them from any kind of vulnerability?
‘The primary reasons are lack of understanding of social relationship and almost no moral education. Such cases are increasing in our society because the current generation doesn’t take any interest in the moral roots and the parents also take least interest in moral teaching till something happens to them or their offspring. The rule of law has to be established. What is most important in order to protect women from atrocities and provide justice to the victims of any kind of assault is that the rule of law has to be established with strong conviction. Any case of assault must be treated as violation of the law of the land and the constitutional provisions that guarantee the individual rights of citizens and actions must be taken promptly as prescribed by law. Not only the police and law enforcing agencies, but also the administration, judiciary and civil society bodies and the women rights bodies have a greater role in achieving social security and safety of women.
The important reason is not only society but the growing girl’s fashion. Today there are number of fashionable clothes that more help in exposing rather in increasing beauty. In old times there was not much freedom to girl children but today the parents give freedom but some girls take this freedom beyond the limit and as a result get caught in such problems. I would point this as the basic reason for the atrocities happening in the world. This culture has to be brought into limit to control the increasing cases of women harassment.
Here are steps what we can and should do:-
‘What we need to do, and urgently, is two-pronged: systemic social change and legal reform’.
We must educate people, starting at the school level, about respect for women, for personal spaces and for the rule of law. We need to introspect, all of us, on how we contribute to the objectification of women, from the popular culture we consume to the way we bring up our children — from where it’s a slippery slope to a twisted and unjust understanding of sexual assault in legal terms.
In terms of the law, we urgently need a more comprehensive and inclusive definition of sexual violence, critical amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure that will reduce the time taken for trials, fast track courts for sexual assault cases, harsher punishments and a serious programme of police reform and sensitisation. All of these are doable, and all are equally crucial — not just for better implementation but also to signal the seriousness with which such crimes will be viewed.
Rape is rooted in two reasons. It is primarily a foundational issue. It is the failure of social norms, from the family to educational institutes, to exercise control. Thus society has gone weaker and become loose. People then behave like loose canons. They may have gone to school, but that is not education, that is literacy. Today the boys only want Mazaak and Mazaa- and that obviously means disrespect for women.
This mentology of the males should be changed for a better society.the police and community needs to work together to eliminate these atrocities on women.

Last but not the least I would conclude with; "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
It’s not enough for women to speak out on the issue – for the message to be strong and consistent, women’s voices must be backed up by men’s. So I request everyone to take initiative in eliminating this crime.