Rape: Society must take ownership

J = NEW DELHI The massive public outrage, the emotional outpouring of sympathy and the angry accusations of negligence against one and all sparked by the horrific rape and murder of a trainee doctor on 9 August at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata were spontaneous natural reactions that were entirely warranted and justified.

- VIVEK GUMASTE

The massive public outrage, the emotional outpouring of sympathy and the angry accusations of negligence against one and all sparked by the horrific rape and murder of a trainee doctor on 9 August at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata were spontaneous natural reactions that were entirely warranted and justified.

However, more than a month later why does all this seem like déjà vu? A has-been-there, seen-all feeling that fails to generate any confidence or evoke a sense of purpose; a hollowness that is hard to describe.

The indignant over-thetop anger, the frenzied protests and touching candle light vigils have all become a part of a reflex banal ritual that we go through every few years post a ghastly incident of rape. The sequence of events that will follow are almost predictable. The government gives assurances and promulgates new stringent laws, the protests die down and everyone returns to their routine daily chores and life goes back to the previous normalcy wherein the vulnerability of women remains unchanged.

Over the years the government has passed several strict laws to curb this scourge of rape: Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 that addressed women’s concerns in the workplace; the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013 which expanded and clarified the definition of rape to include all forced sexual assaults; the POCSO Act, 2012 that protects minors from sexual harassment.

In addition, the Indian government has instituted several measures to deter sexual harassment with detailed guidelines for organizations like mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy, Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) and training programs for employees. Awareness campaigns have been introduced and hotlines have been set up to help women.