Stop the violence, she’s human like us!

The latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics paint a rather sordid picture on the state of women in Karnataka. According to the report, as many as 17813 FIRs were registered in the state in 2022 alone on crimes against women compared to 14,468 in the previous year.

What is more distressing is that in an enlightened state like Karnataka which ranks higher than many other states in social indicators, there were a staggering 6201 cases of assault with an intent to outrage a woman’s modesty and another 3141 cases pertaining to offences under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act (Pocso).

Dowry harassment and related issues continue to be a dominating factor in crimes against women; the state registered 222 cases under the Dowry Prohibition Act in the bygone year raising troubling questions about whether all those campaigns to eradicate this social evil have really reached anywhere.

There were also 595 rape cases and in the majority of these cases, ironically, the accused was known to the victim,, says NCRB.

So how does one get out of this ‘abyss of sin’ where our women folk are made to undergo untold misery and pain?

It is no doubt immensely difficult to completely end such crimes in a society in which inequality, illiteracy and prejudices are still pretty deep-rooted, but unless a determined effort is made to stem the rot before it crosses all bounds, we are staring at a sorry scenario as far as women rights, their dignity and freedom are concerned.

The change has to start with the young. Instilling sacrosanct values like respect for women should happen at an early age so that they remain etched in the memory of the young who would then not dare to cross the forbidden line when it comes to a girl’s dignity.

This is no difficult task and a detailed analysis should be done of the content of our textbooks to find if enough importance has been given to the topic of respect for women and recognizing them as equals in society.

The other question which arises is whether we have enough counseling centres and counsellors besides helplines and women shelters which any woman in distress can approach easily and secure justice in time?

Such centres should not be confined to urban places and metropolises for violence against women knows no bounds with rural areas also witnessing such incident in ample proportions.

Are there women helplines and counselling centres in rural areas? This is something which needs to be deliberated upon so that proactive measures can be taken by the government to offer these services where they are not available.

Then comes the question of recognising the tell-tale signs of abuse and violence in time and making sure they are addressed properly before they reach a point of no return.

Glum faces, dark-circled eyes, broken bodies and constant tears besides frequent complaints to close relatives and friends should never be ignored or dismissed as an inevitable part of married life; and if we fail to recognise the agony behind the tears in time, such crimes can never be checked.

There are many other means of curbing violence against women too. We should severely frown upon such crimes so that the message is sent out that it is not only the courts but also society where one will have to defend himself and his acts.

Nothing works better than social pressure and the painful realisation that one would be isolated and looked down upon for any act of violence against women, would be strong enough to put the fetters on any such evil thoughts which arise in anyone’s mind.