Rape+in+India+-+Sandhya+Sugrim



Sandhya Sugrim LANG 1000C April 19, 2015 What propels men towards rape? Rape is such a controversial topic, whether it be any country or India specifically. Unfortunately, rape is such a dominant issue happening all over India. The causes are one that can be rooted from many paths but it definitely hails from a starting point. For those who know the history of India and how they viewed the authority of women, they were always one step behind men. Women never had the same rights as men and for that reason, the male population always felt like the higher authority. Respect is also a touchy subject when one talks about the equivalence between both genders. Why were women always disrespected? Well, either way - men were always allowed to further themselves and what were women? They were housewives. Servants. Maids. Sometimes I wonder why they are considered to be a wife instead of being called a servant, because in my opinion, that's exactly how they are treated. Generations have definitely altered throughout the years. Whether you would like to say, for the better or for the worse - that is solely upon your opinion. From what I've experienced, I've taken a keen notice to the media, because it plays a role in our society and surprisingly, our lives. I used to enjoy watching Indian productions because they were so family-orientated and clean. Don’t get me wrong, because there were some movies that definitely did touch the topics of prostitution, but the women were fully clothed. All you see in the Bollywood films are half-naked women dancing around in movies, portraying a drunken character - and if not that, then they are showcasing their body to men who would do filthy things to them. Now, the question should really pull a trigger in ones head when asked - what propels men towards the culture of rape? In Delhi, India – there was a brutal gang rape that occurred in 2012. A young lady by the name of Jyoti Singh Pandey was gang raped in a bus traveling with one of her male friends. Her friend was beaten while 6 men in the bus raped Jyoti. Her injuries were so bad that she died two weeks after the assault. This specific gang rape caused a lot of controversy across India. Once they were finished, they dumped both Jyoti and he friend on the side of road. Many topics came up but one of the main were why there’s not enough security for women. The fact that Jyoti was only 23 years old made it more hurtful, because she had her whole life to live. I mentioned earlier in my text that Bollywood media has changed within the years. There are movies from back in the 1900’s that express women in prostitution and brothels. There is a song by the name of, “Salaam e Ishq Meri Jaan” from the movie Mukaddar Ka Sikandar. In the beginning of the song, the translation says, “My dear, accept this greeting of love; make the small mistake of falling in love with me; my heart is rentless for a companion; I’ll tell you the tale of one night.” In a song like this, it sounds like the woman is throwing herself onto the man; making her vulnerable. Because of how media works, sometimes people may portray it be okay to act like this. Now, coming to recent times, you have songs such as, “Munni Badnaam Hui” from the movie Dabangg that also throw themselves at men, but except this time – half naked. In the translation of this song, it speaks about a girl talking to a man, telling him – “You don’t know the lakhs of rupees that are spent on my attitude; Munni has pink cheeks, drunk eyes, a royal walk”. It is evident the effect that social media has on the society because it’s apparent of how the Western Hemisphere is – due to social media. In article entitled, “She should just be silent,” on Vox.com, it summarizes a protest that occurred after the 2012 Delhi Gang Rape. One of the rapists, Mukesh Singh, stated, “A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy. A decent girl shouldn’t roam around at 9’oclock at night. Housework and housekeeping are for girls, not roaming around in discos and bars at night doing wrong things, wearing wrong clothes. If women are ‘not’ good, men have a right to ‘teach them a lesson’ by raping them. When being raped, she shouldn’t fight back. She should just be silent and allow the rape.” When I initially read his comments, the first thing that came into my head was – What a waste of life. It’s really saddening to even accept that these are how men act in India. In a 2011 study, it is said that nearly one in four men have committed rape. That’s a little bizarre to think that if I am sitting in a classroom with 20 men, 5 of them have raped a girl. Shortly after the 2012 incident in Delhi, The Washington Post related to 10 reasons why India has a sexual violence problem. Out of the 10 reasons listed, one of them stood out the most to me and that was – A lack of public safety. In this article, it says that women who drink, smoke or go to pubs are considered to be of no moral values. Going to the bazaar is an increased chance of rape and there aren’t even plenty of women’s toilets. It bothers me that women don’t even have as much privileges in their own country as much as to using a toilet! They treat women so poorly and it’s a shame to hear about the stories that women go through just to try and make a living for themselves. Rape has always been a soft situation for me because I am a true advocate for women. I hope one day all of this gets better, even though it won’t happen overnight. Women are gems in this world!

Wikipedia contributors. "2012 Delhi gang rape." //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 Apr. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
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Salaam E Ishq Song Lyrics Translation." //Salaam E Ishq Lyrics Translation (Mukaddar Ka Sikandar)//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Doctor: Young Woman Gang-raped in India Dies - CNN.com." //CNN//. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Munni Badnaam Hui Meaning." //Munni Badnaam Hui Meaning//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

10 Reasons Why India Has a Sexual Violence Problem." //Washington Post//. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

"She Should Just Be Silent": The Real Roots of India's Rape Culture." //Vox//. N.p., 05 Mar. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.