The Girl Without a Name

For the past few days I feel so strange, restless perhaps, don't have the apt word. I see the entire nation reverberating with anger, the rallies and protest vigils, the indifference combined with lathi-charge and tear gas spray by the protectors of law and order, etc is spreading so much of unrest. The morning newspapers highlight the recent rape and molestation cases happening across the country. The entire nation demands a change in the existing sexist laws in our country. Honorable ministers are putting up the blame on girls and women for stepping out at night. But don't rapes occur in the morning, afternoon or early evening. And do they occur only by the road or in open areas, outside home? I've read and heard at least a dozen cases where fathers, brothers, cousins, uncles have victimised women. And what kind of control do we expect to implement on children as small as two years old? And talking about laws, the indifference of the Indian police while registering FIRs for a case, as simple as burglary, proves the inefficiency of system... leave alone a case of rape. Their utter negligence towards their work is hidden behind the lesser number of cases filed, which in turn shows how efficient our system is! And why blame the system, when the biggest problem is we ourselves? Just remember the last time when you had snubbed at a small kid in front of your window pane, begging, at a traffic signal. Did you think what compels them to come out and beg even at the extremes of weather conditions? No. Every time we see them, we either think someone else would help them or the super hit movie, Slumdog Millionaire comes to our mind. This was just an example to show where, as humans, we are heading towards? If we hear about a heart ripping crime we tend to think about it for a while, and then forget it thinking that we are at a different situation and thanking God for that. The gang-rape case in Delhi is just an exception where we, as a nation, have empathised with the girl without a name. there are so many cases out there which do not get such hype and hence, no FIRs are taken down. this, in turn leads to suicides like in the recent Patiala case. We must remember that we have laws against heinous crimes like murder too. Could they eliminate the crime from the country? A country where the leaders, expected to be setting examples for the nation, think that prostitutes can be raped, is it not expected that the nation will empathise with someone only with a moral character, who stays at home, doesn't visit pubs, wears traditional clothes and so many other symptoms of the erstwhile concept of a cultured Indian woman. If she is confident of her sexuality, her character is loose and deserves to be raped. I've seen fake photographs of the girl without a name on social networking sites... a beautiful young girl under medical treatment. The link received so many likes and comments wishing fast recovery. But does a woman have to be beautiful to stand the minimum requirements of empathy? Capital punishment, if enforced, on rapists will only worsen the situation. Laws could never stop crime and hence laws can never stop rapes. Only thing that will happen is murders after rape to remove all evidence since capital punishment shall be guaranteed by such moves. Nothing will change unless we change our views. Everything worth having comes with a trial worth withstanding, Let the death of the girl without a name not go in vain.