Is there an end to Rape culture in India?

Gang rape, tongue cut, spine broken, another life lost. The usual noisy media, political accusations, protests and demonstrations and candle marches. All demanding that the accused be hanged and government be changed. Yes, they deserve death and government needs to take actions. But wait, what about the victim? Can she be brought back? Whats done cannot be undone.

Every foreign traveller who visits this country have one complaint in common. India is not safe for women. What a shame...!A country that holds a history of rape from an eight-month-old baby to a 100-year-old woman, what else can we expect them to say. A nation with such an incredible history, culture and knowledge is today known more for these horrendous acts. Isn't it disturbing? Yes it is. We live in a land where we worship countless female gods. We consider cow to be our mother. The irony is, people are ready to even kill other fellow humans for slaughtering cows but the same people never think twice when they assault and brutally kill girls in this country.

Recently I read a post telling, ask a girl you know how many times did she feel insecure or harassed in her lifetime. That made me thinking. Haven't we all faced this so many times in our lives? Right from our school days to growing up today. Street harassment is no new. There are men who click photos of girls walking on streets without their permission, then there are those creepy men who keep starring at you all the time. Also there are a group of random men who whistle at you when pass you by the streets. Some even go to an extent of touching your private parts be it on roads or when you are traveling in a public transport!

Is there an end to Rape culture in India? In spite of several amendments, incidences of rapes continue unabated. Alas! now we hear cases of extreme brutality. The general perception is that since the laws have been made more stringent, rapists resort with extreme measures to destroy the evidence. Of course not all men are bad. In fact no human borns bad/violent. It is the society that shapes their attitudes and beliefs. What you see is what you learn. Right from the early stages of your life starting from home. The caste system is another big problem in the society. Centuries of patriarchy have conditioned men to believe in their superiority and to look down upon women as inferior beings.The cosmetic industry, media, entertainment and even sports thrive on the objectification of women. We have songs comparing women to eatables beckoning men to consume them!

Sadly the so called intellects in the country think that the solution for rape is making a girl to sit at home, telling her not be look/smile at men or stop girls from wearing jeans or any tight clothes which will attract men. Im Sorry! Do you really think this is the solution to stop rapes in India? No problem comes without a solution. Work has to be done to educate people in a right way. When education drives can reduce HIV and polio in the country by spreading awareness why cant this change? People protest for/against adding random things in kids textbook but nobody is concerned to add these things in curriculum. Let's agree to the fact that sex and sexuality is no more a cultural taboo. At least we can teach the kids today for a better tomorrow. Advertising, Bollywood, Influencers, cricket, government and non-profits can use their power to spread the word. We are living in an era much more advanced today where everything is attainable.

Someone has rightly said, As Women we don’t want to be Bharat Mata or Devi. Just treat us as humans and let us live as equal citizens.