Rape Rooted In Indian Culture Sukhvir Kaur LAC1000C Project 2015 Professor Yajnik

STATISTICS According to statistics, a woman is raped in India every 20 minutes. Rape has been the number one crime in India, increasing trifold in the past 6 years. According to a poll that was conducted regarding a girl or woman that is raped in India, and whether or not she will have the same chances in life as anyone else (for example, find a suitable match or lead a normal life) more than 90% of the surveyees answered negative.

INDIAN SOCIETY Male – Female discrimination From ancient times in India, women have been considered subordinate to men. Daughters are viewed as a burden in Indian society due to the price of dowry that has to be given upon her marriage. Sons are fed better than daughters and are given the opportunity to get an education and build a career. This encourages female feticide and sex-selective abortion in India. Westernization of India As India becomes more modern, females are gaining more freedom. Some choose to abuse this freedom by wearing proactive clothes, drinking, and partying out late; while the wise ones work hard to gain an education and get good jobs.

Objectification of Girls Bollywood movies are incomplete without item songs, in which a woman is depicted as an object of pleasure. Rape scenes in Indian cinema have been dominant. The take home message that the youth receives after watching the movie is as that: “If you harass a woman enough, no matter how often she says no, she’ll ultimately say yes”

CAUSES OF RAPE Men get caught up in lure and lust. “If sweets are left on the streets, dogs will eat them” – Statement of a police officer handling a rape case. Upbringing of males in conservative society and Western influence Curiosity of males drives them to get out of their comfort zone and explore the horizons of women. These males believe that a girl who dresses proactively, party's out until late, consumes alcohol and smokes has open views about sexual activity.

Lack of education and respect for women Uneducated people fail to understand the gender equality of males and females. Caste System Rape is common among poor and lower castes because it is believed that their have little to no value. Rapists want to teach the girls a lesson They want to let females know that they should not be roaming around freely late at night. Preserve masculinity and dominance over females Males are threatened by the educational achievements of females, so they feel the need to conduct these horrific acts in order to feel secure.

Poor justice system and gaps in law enforcement Justice is often delayed or never delivered in rape cases. Many rape cases go unreported due to bribery, corruption, and out of court settlement. Advancements in technology Cell phones ease the job of making and sharing provactive SMS Videos. Inquisitiveness of males is intrigued by access to pornography on the Internet. This leads some disgusting men to place CCTV cameras in female bathroom and fitting rooms.

PROPOSED SOLUTIONS Rapist should not be allowed to get away with such atrocious acts Stricter laws need to be enforced for the rapists Justice should not be denied or delayed for the victim Increase in all police for public safety, especially female officers Setup a hotline for victims that provides help, comfort, and support Rapists should be publicly ashamed Death penalty Cutting off rapists genitals

Educate the people with moral values Obligatory moral education in school should train a child in such a way that even when he/ she ages, they will not depart therefrom. A satisfactory balance needs to be sought out between conservative and liberal values. Create favorable circumstances for females Women should be granted their freedom but they should act with responsibility and not abuse it. Women should avoid traveling alone, especially very late at night so that they are less likely to become a target. If an unfortunate event like this does place, a woman should not be blamed; instead, she should use this incident to propel her to find and punish her culprit.

Change perception of women in society Objectification of women in movies should be avoided. Instead, people should be taught to respect and protect women. Bollywood should shed light on women in a positive way and depict how they take on responsible roles as daughters, sisters, wives and mothers. Equality between a female and male should be promoted in society. "While a murderer destroys the physical frame of the victim, a rapist degrades and defiles the soul of a helpless female.”