Where the Mind is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear..

            Is Kerala the most insecure State in the Country for women? Yes, said a recent survey conducted by a private research organization and telecast through a prominent channel. 73% of women in Kerala opined to them that they do not feel safe in Kerala! Is it just a feeling or are they really unsafe? Who and what do they fear?

            Is it the truth? What were the criteria for the survey? Were women across the State from various social and economic backgrounds and from different age groups questioned? Is Kerala even worse than Delhi, Haryana, UP and West Bengal? In the channel discussion, a senior journalist admitted that he was not surprised that this is so since young women journalists often request him to post them anywhere but Kerala!

Most of the local newspapers seem to have accepted this as a well known fact and have not heeded much attention to this survey, save one, which interviewed a few women and reiterated that women should not dare to walk in dark (darkness of ignorance or after dusk?) in Kerala. Unfortunately no police officer was asked for comments by this particular newspaper and the report was published rather unimportantly in the city pages.     

            As the Nodal Officer of Nirbhaya Keralam Project, the main aim of which is to remove all sorts of fear from women and children, I asked a few ladies what makes them feel insecure. A majority said that it was the attitude of men and the social breeding they are subjected to from childhood onwards at home, educational institution and at work place that make them feel scared of men. Some women said that roads and lanes with no street lights are very scary after sunset. A few responded that lack of visibility of uniformed police men and women in public places make them feel unsafe. Univocally, all agreed that the insecurity they felt was due to unwelcome sexual advances by men.

Is it right to say that if 73% of women feel insecure then at least 50% of men are responsible for it? What could be the reason for this sex-starved behaviour by men? Gender discrimination starts at home, where boys are considered superior to girls by their parents and are given preferential treatment and more freedom. Girls are taught to be meek, shy and humble from a very young age by the elders at home and even by the teachers in school. Kerala may be the only State where girls and boys are segregated into different compartments from childhood to old age. Go to a school or a college, you will see the boys seated on one side and girls on the other- in the classrooms and also in the auditorium where functions are held. Go to a public function, any public function, and you will see men clustering on the right side and women on the left. If any woman dares to sit on the side of men due to lack of seats on the left side of the hall, she will be viewed with disdain.  This unhealthy relationship between boys and girls breeds lack of respect of women in men. Since the victims fear the after-effects of responding to sexual harassment, most of the offences remain unreported and the perpetrators get encouraged to continue their bad behaviour.

Fear of the known have solutions, it is often fear of the unknown that pose complications and make women feel insecure. Several women approach me on a daily basis with their fears. Their problems are minor and easily solvable. Domestic violence, marital discord, eve teasing in public places, cheating by lovers and sometimes harassment at work places, all such problems have permanent legal solutions. But they do not need solutions through police intervention; they need a lot of advice. They will never give a written complaint or go to the concerned Police Stations to file complaints how much ever I coax them. They demand that I resort to the illegal method of calling the counter petitioner and settling the issue through warnings and threats.

‘What if?’ is a favourite phrase of women in distress. What if relatives come to know? What if I the counter petitioners get vindictive? What if family gets disrupted? What if legal system prolongs? What if there will be unwanted publicity? Convincing women to file complaints at the Police Stations is my biggest challenge.

Ignorance is not bliss, it is a big bane. Women will have to know the legal protection that is available to them and use it for their protection. I cannot blame them much since even the Police Officers are ignorant about the new additions and nuances of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2013 which has been enacted for protecting women from harassment as aftermath of 16^th December 2012 Nirbhaya incident in New Delhi. This new Act has made several new offences such as request for sexual favours, remarks having sexual colour and stalking, all of which are punishable up to 5 years. Peeping toms (voyeurism) will get up to seven years and men who pry into emails and digital media accounts of women will get up to five years imprisonment. Several new sections are added to section 376 (rape) and offence is made punishable for life or up to twenty years. Acid attacks are punishable up to 10 years and maximum penalty for trafficking of children is 14 years. Further, public servants disobeying law and not providing medical treatment to victims are punishable up to two years. This Act has also outlined the relief which the State has to give as a welfare measure to the victims of sexual crimes. Although this is a milestone Amendment to Indian Penal Code, many men consider it as too harsh and have reacted strongly against it, saying that women will misuse it.

Misuse? Hardly! Women do not even know how to use what is available for them. I have seen many women spend huge amounts to purchase household articles and electrical/electronic gadgets and keep them safe, wrapped away in cupboards for use at a better time. After several months, when they ultimately decide to use them, it will be unusable- rusted, outdated or moth eaten! Laws have the same nature. Dowry Prohibition Act is one such Act which is lying crumbled in a corner due to lack of use. Several provisions of Kerala Police Act 2011, especially section 119 dealing with punishment for atrocities against women are slowly getting rusted. Knowledge of law is a great thing to possess; it will boost up confidence in women. What use is that knowledge if it will not be used even in dire situations?

Implementation of the Nirbhaya Keralam Project will not be an easy task unless women are willing to shun the garbs of low self esteem and unfounded doubts. Creating awareness and educating women about legal protection available to them and basic rules of self defence also may not work in times of need. It was heartening to see a girl who is a karate star bravely fight and resist men who attempted to tease her last year in the capital city. Yet recently, another girl who had learnt karate in school could not protect herself from an attack by a molester inside a public transportation because she ‘froze’.  Reactions differ from people to people. Women generally tend not to react. They feel it is safe to keep mum when someone misbehaves with them or when they see another getting sexually harassed. Despite telling them to resist, respond and react, they consider it safe to withdraw inside their shells and shed silent tears!

A better option, I think will be to educate the men to be gentlemanly. An officer in the rank of Director General of Police has wisely suggested starting ‘Gentleman Boy’s Clubs’ in Schools and Colleges to educate boys to respect women and to be cordial to them. Government of Kerala has accepted this proposal as part of the Nirbhaya Scheme, soon to be implemented.

I implore the women of Kerala to awaken from their self imposed stupor and tread boldly into the realm esteem, free from abuse. ‘Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high’, let us be! (Courtesy Rabindra Nath Tagore)