Monday 2 January 2017

Indian Politicians and the Rape Culture


India is known for its patriarchal society which has often left our women speechless, but not by choice. Crimes against women in the country have been growing at an alarming rate, making Delhi the Rape Capital of India. Along with Delhi, Madhya Pradesh too is proving that there is no place for women in our country, with its highest cases of rapes in India. While most rape cases go unreported due to the threat of defamation, Indian laws regarding crimes against women have a rare effect on the guilty. And the icing on the cake are the weird, yet sexist comments by our Indian Politicians, which often make me think twice. Let's have a look at some of them!

1. Abu Azmi


Mr. Abu Azmi, also known as the former actress Ayesha Takia's father-in-law, is a Samajwadi Party leader who believes that a rape victim is equally guilty of getting raped. According to him, those women who get raped should be hanged as well, especially the ones who are married, as these women have indulged in adultery, when they get raped. And his solution for this issue is pretty simple. If a woman goes out with a guy, with or without her consent, should be hanged along with the guy. I guess he was thinking of a solution for reducing the population of our country as well!

2. Mohan Bhagwat


Mohan Bhagwat certainly lives in Bharat, not India, because according to him, rapes only happen in the urban and westernized cities, not the villages. The modern culture of the cities, when women wear 'less clothes' are the main reason for this rape culture, according to the RSS Chief. Basically, women should refrain from going out with men, other than their relatives. We should definitely show him the piece written by Annie Gowen, in the Washington Post, where she tells the horrific tale of a teenager, living in a village in Haryana, who was raped by her own father. 

3. Om Prakash Chautala


Mr. Om Prakash Chautala, the former Chief Minister of Haryana who is currently serving a prison sentence for rank corruption, had the perfect solution for crimes against women; child marriage. According to him, it is the best way to protect the women of India. Apparently, he completely forgot, or maybe ignored the fact that child marriage is a crime against women and girls as well.

These were just a few examples of the bizarre comments that our Indian politicians and leaders make when it comes to protecting the women of our country. These are the ones we vote for, thinking that maybe at least one of them would work in their right mind. However, their comments are only pointing towards one fact that women are far away from equality.