Sunday, September 1, 2013

Counterparts or just sex toys?


Today, I have a deep sympathy for Indian judicial system. A person commits a heinous crime of rape, and then he puts a rod into the genital of the victim that leads to her death. The culprit who was six month less in 18 years at the time of crime, considered a juvenile. And therefore, the judicial system just could award the culprit 3 years of stay in a reform home. Surprisingly, a person who was supposed to be hanged till death, will be walking free just after two years and four months. Now, the big question is, a person who can rape, how can he be a juvenile?
We, living in the 21st century, still unable to punish a criminal by our existing criminal laws.  Being part of a patriarch society, by awarding such kinds of punishments, what message we want to convey to our counterparts who consist half of the population. They are our counterparts, have equal rights in the society or we just treat them like a sex toy?
Many questions are rising in the mind. Can we still say us civilized and why did this happen? No, certainly not, we cannot say us civilized if our half of the population feel insecure, live with a fear and we are not ready to provide them justice. But still, we say, we are democratic and living in the largest democracy of the world. What nonsense? We can’t think like that if we trespass the rights of half of the population.
The answer lies inside the society and its approach. If a person commits such a heinous crime, being a lady, why not his mother opposes his crime? In contrast, she tries to save him. If the criminal is our relative, we swiftly forget his crime what he has committed and starts trying to save him. There is a tremendous need to change the social approach towards women.
Next things are the lawyers, if an advocate defends an accused of rape (except fake political cases as many of them are filed by their opponents), how does he face his family members, especially female members such as his wife, daughters, sisters or friends in the society? We should not forget justice while practicing any profession.    
One of the big questions is, we are still carrying the Indian Panel Code which was drafted in 1860 by the British rulers. After 66 years of Independence, still we are not capable to redraft these outdated laws. Guys! Don’t you think, this is the need of hour to change our social attitude and outdated criminal laws? If we cannot, at least we should not claim ourselves civilized and democratic. 
The laws against rape must be the strongest. Rather than, the victim, proving she is raped, the culprit must have to prove he has not committed the crime. If he fails to prove himself, he must be guilty in the cases of rape.