I wish all the women in our midst a very happy Women’s Day. Personally, I think every day must be women’s day, and today just a day when we recognize and celebrate women achievers and achievements.
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day, is #Pledgeforparity, and it is the efforts of the remarkable women and men present here today that is taking us all a step closer towards communities that place women and their rights and interests with no fetters. I personally don’t like the word parity because it implies women are restricted to being equal to men – when there are many things about men in our country that you don’t want to equal! So I like to believe that what we are doing is to remove the fetters and restrictions placed on our women so that they can fly as high as they can.
India is one of the fastest growing countries in the world. Opportunities are on the increase and there are clear, visible signs of progress everywhere. But this growth has ignored key issues of how we are growing as a nation and people, and as crimes and victimisation of women and children show no sign of moderation or improvement. Way back in 1998, the National Crime Records Bureau reported that the growth rate of crimes against women would be higher than the population growth rate by 2010.
Available data from the NCRB would certainly lead to this conclusion. Between 1971 and 2013, reported rapes grew at the rate of 5.6% per year. Between 1988 and 2013, cases of kidnapping and abduction of women grew by 3.8% per year. Between 1995 and 2013, cases of cruelty by husbands and relatives and dowry deaths increased at the rate of 6.8% per year. Cases of molestation and eve-teasing increased at the rate of 3.2% per year during the same period between 1995 and 2013.
Available data on the incidence of violence against women show that violence against women in India is common and high, while not the highest in the world (UN Women 2011). In interviews in the NFHS -3, every third Indian woman aged between 15 and 49 years said that she had experienced sexual or physical violence in her lifetime.
The narrative of violence against women in India, fortunately or unfortunately, tends to be constructed from a pre and post December 2012, Delhi Gangrape lens. Post-December 2012, I have found that the number of crimes registered against women has risen. This is a result of two processes: increased reporting due to heightened public awareness, and changes in the law that make it an offense for the police not to record a crime when reported. However, attitudes in society have not changed – something evidenced in the continuing crimes against women, and even sexual crimes against the children in our society.
Various reports say that the most unsafe cities in India are Delhi-NCR, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata. This is not only unfortunate but is also alarming that developed cities witness more crimes against women. Our cities remain unsafe, and as larger numbers of women venture out on the streets for work or for any other purpose, they have become vulnerable to sexual abuse and violent crimes. Tough rules and laws alone will not instill a feeling of safety amongst women - as we have seen, despite the new law released by the Verma Committee report, rapes continue to occur with alarming frequency.
It is for us to remind ourselves that we have still a far distance to travel before we can deliver to women and children of our country, a country that is worthy of them. Today as we hear and celebrate these women achievers with the conviction that more and more women will shine and excel, it’s also necessary to dig down and fight to ensure that this becomes the norm and not the exception in coming years for future generations of girl children.
I end by quoting the Air Chief Marshal today – In June/July this year, a woman Airforce Officer will officially enter our combat fighter force as a frontline fighter pilot. To quote the Air Forces motto for all women – ‘May she touch the sky with glory’.
(Author Rajeev Chandrasekhar is Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, and can be contacted on [email protected]. Views expressed are personal and not that of CNN-IBN/ IBNLive)
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