Rape, Controversial Comments, and a Lack of Reason

Image courtesy: globalpost.com

Rape is a common occurence in India. And from reports over the last few years, New Delhi is ahead of all other regions in the number of rapes. The recent rape, and subsequent death of a 23-year old girl in Delhi was perhaps the last straw for the general public who took the streets last month. This is currently a simmering issue, and I hope something comes of all the attention to this heinous crime.

When a crime such as rape is reported, different thoughts (relating to the cause) run in the minds of different people. Most of these possible causes have merit in them, with none in particular being the smoking gun.

Someone who has a more conservative mindset and is generally against liberalization of the country is going to express a general concern about the fast changing family and social dynamics. This is a valid concern, but when expressed in the aftermath of a reported rape, the media (and the frenzied people, as a result) start interpreting these opinions as a commentary on the rape victim. Sure, many actually make comment that lay blame on the victim in an outright manner or say things that do not make much sense (Asaram Bapu's comments, as has been reported).

• People who want to express their opinions, and draw attention to the fact that we need to address the social issues with rapidly changing family setups, a general cultural decay, etc., must be extra careful especially in the aftermath of such crimes. 

Of this group, some tend to comment about womens' clothes, which usually becomes a hotly debated topic. I've seen arguments by people about rapists committing the crime even when the victim is dressed in more conservative clothes. 

• For one, in a free country a woman can wear whatever clothes she pleases. No arguments there. What irks some is that the conservative person deemed the (usually) Western attire for the rape.
• Whether that was the reason or not (it certainly cannot be the sole reason), in some cases it must be one of the reasons. People who indulge in eve teasing do end up picking girls who wear less conservatively more easily as their targets, and there's no denying that. 
• Films and TV programming end up pushing provocative dressing in women, which no doubt corrupts the minds of the young and old alike. There's no denying that either. So, sweeping these under the carpet or vehemently denying these when trying to determine the general increase of mens' libidos is foolish. Of course, looking at the victim's clothes and then ascribing provocative dressing as the reason she was raped is not the right thing to do.
• Remember that what is considered normal dressing by an urban crowd may be considered provocative by someone who does not have exposure to the modern urban world.
• Men who are not gainfully employed or have been raised in violent circumstances or poor neighbourhoods are also generally more likely to indulge in such crimes.    

Someone who leans towards a breakdown of law and order as the problem is going to propose that there be more stringent punishment, better security to prevent such crimes, better lighting in public transport, etc. All of these are valid suggestions. There is no denying that the country desperately needs law and order.

• My good friend whose grandparents hail from West Punjab (now in Pakistan) told me recently that his grandmother kept saying that when she was young, it was always safe for girls to move around in Lyallpur (now Faisalabad). Unfortunately we are not able to maintain the security that existed pre-1947 (barring the Partition-related riots, of course).
• If you focus on law and order, remember though, that law and order can only work to a certain degree. In many Western countries, there is generally high levels of law and order. A lot of this has to do with people being very compliant, having trust in the system, and general contentment. 
• As an unrelated example, there is not much that law enforcement can do to prevent video piracy (beyond a certain degree), even in advanced economies. Still, that there is low levels of piracy is largely due to the vast majority of people not indulging in piracy. People are willing to pay for content/services, and there is a general respect for art and the work of people.
• As governments are more and more resource-constrained, there can only be better electronic systems in place, not more law enforcement manpower patrolling the streets. 

The bottom line is that law enforcement is but one thing we can improve to deter or prevent such crimes. Even with good law enforcement, political correctness and an extra dose of minority sensitivity, for example in the UK, have become phenomena that make people look the other way when crimes such as rape occur. See this blog post for reference. I know that's a blog post and so can have an extra dose of bias, but I have read an article on a UK news site before (on how policemen ignore such crimes due to a fear of being labeled racists), and can't seem to locate it now.

Some recent comments by Mohan Bhagwat, the head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, have caused an uproar. This is largely due to blatant misreporting by the media, mainly CNN IBN, I believe. 

Watch this Youtube video of one of his speeches from which IBN misquotes.

• There is nothing wrong with his 5-6 minute speech (answer to a public question). He describes the respect that women have been traditionally accorded in our country, and the view towards the role of women. In this context, he uses "India" to refer the country where that world view and respect is eroded, and "Bharat" to refer to the country where they are upheld. Nowhere does he refer to Western influence or say anything about oppressing women, or blaming them for anything. His answer, in fact, is mostly about explaining how men end up doing such crimes when they are valueless. 
• What I liked most in his answer, though, is the point I made earlier about law and order not being the only answer. Understanding how our tradition of respect to women (among others) is being eroded is very important, and we must arrest it, to set things right. 
• Sure, there is a Western influence component to this, where our children are lavished on, not raised in a disciplined way, etc., and this includes exposing them to movies that are completely against what impressions you want to leave in children. 

I am yet to locate a full video of Bhagwat's speech where IBN claims (or would have you believe, via a soundbyte) he advises men to caste off women who no longer fulfill the marriage contract of taking care of their husband. The snippet that IBN keeps playing only indicated to me that the context in which he must have made this comments was in reference to how women and the institution of marriage are treated in Western countries. A bit of a generalization of course, but largely true. The Indian institution of marriage is much more respectful of society, children, and the couple themselves.  IBN, though, has been playing this video and sensationalizing it as if Bhagwat recommends that men use-and-throw women. Completely untrue as far as I can tell (and per the RSS spokesperson) and very blatant misreporting. I hear Sagarika Ghosh did a bit of an apology, but there should be more stringent punishment for media houses in such cases!

I see a general unwillingness in people to consider other opinions, and to acknowledge that there are several factors contributing to crimes such as rape - including law and order, cultural decay, lack of importance for family and other social institutions, a blind eye to film and TV programming that leaves negative impressions in young and old minds alike, a glamourization of sex (especially the variety outside of marriage and pre-marriage), a violent or poor upbringing where one might start coveting or envying the more affluent etc. One or more factors contributes to each particular case, and mentioning something that another is sensitive about hijacks all discussions and reasoning..

People are waiting to smear others, especially when any reference is made to culture, tradition, the institution of marriage, etc. Waiting, in fact, to say things like "people of this generation have moved on", and the likes of IBN take advantage of this flippant nature for its TRP gains with sensational soundbytes. Even worse are comments such as "RSS = Taliban", from people who have no idea about the organizations in the first place (beyond sensational headlines) or degrees of comparison. One is a cultural nationalist organization that has committed no crime and the other is a violent terrorist organization. 

I've written this post as a "think out loud" exercise. There might be a second part to this, but comments are welcome!