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The incident
It happened today. I went to meet one of my colleagues in Mohan Garden, Uttam Nagar, in Delhi. I saw a long queue at a fair-price shop. I walked a few steps more and again found some groups of people or in other words some herds of people. I use the word herd here because these people were whispering about some issue, and it reminded me of a jungle documentary which I saw yesternight. I found a remarkable resemblance between grass-grazing cattle and the people who were whispering there.
Their facial expression suggested that something happened and it might be a serious and most probably a crime. I assumed that it could be a chain snatching or an incident of pickpocketing. So, I tried to avoid the incident and left the place. I met my colleague and returned after fifteen minutes. I found the herd at the same place.
This time I couldn’t suppress my curiosity and enquired about the incident, and the information was shocking. Two boys on the bike throw acid at the minor. She was waiting for the school bus with her sister. The man who told me about the incident described the incident like a reporter, but I was not listening to him. I felt numb for a few minutes then I asked about the attackers. In reply, he told me that they succeeded to escape.
Delhi: Unsafe for women
According to data, this year, the crime against women increased by 17% with other numbers, increasing assault by 19% and domestic violence by 29%. Data indicate that between January 1 and July 15, 2021, Delhi registered 6,747 cases of crimes against women. This figure increased to 7,887 cases in 2022. The city reported 1,100 rape cases until July 15 of this year as opposed to 1,033 during the same period the previous year. There have been 1,480 instances of assaults on women to offend their modesty, which has also increased.
Acid attack: The brutal crime against a woman
Even the supreme court said in one of its verdicts that an acid attack is a more brutal crime against a woman than murder, and it is obvious. Murder is the end of life and pain, but in the acid attack, a woman ha#s to suffer her all life. It is an endless pain which includes many surgeries, disfigured face and endless mental trauma.
Why does it happen?
Acid attack is a heinous crime, but why it happens again and again? The first reason is the male ego which is not ready to accept rejection. In India, we don’t teach our male kids to accept rejection. We teach them to be a winner every time and at any cost. It is the main reason behind this heinous crime. Leave other reasons like free availability of acid, less stringent laws, and the social acceptability of the criminal.
Can it be stopped?
In near future, it seems impossible. There are many reasons, and some of them are as follows, The social structure remains the same. Even our cinema portrays the male character as the hero who teases the girl, stalks them, and troubles them. There are many hit songs, and scene sequences in the different movie which preaches that if a girl smiles it means she is ready to go with the boy.
We show ourselves modern when we asked from our male kids: Do you have a girlfriend? Indirectly we teach them you must have a girlfriend. There is no psychologist in the school who counsel the student at an early stage and teach them to accept rejection, and when it happens they have a hurt ego and it is lethal.
Acid attack/ attack on girl: Two flips of the same coin
No doubt an acid attack is the most heinous crime against a woman but we should not ignore other attacks like stabbing, cyberbullying, and cybercrime like making viral a video or a photo. These are the same crime in a different outfit. Basically, it is a hate crime. Hate crime against rejection, to show disrespect for the other's will and to calm the false ego.
The third and fourth pages of every newspaper which have the local news has at least three or two pieces of news about this type of crime. Most common of these are stabbing and rapes are not very uncommon.
Can we do something?
Yes, we can do it, we should do it, and we must do it. First, We should stop avoiding any incident which builds the wrong character in our make kids. In society, we must stop avoiding the incident of eve-teasing, We have to teach our daughters to raise their voices against the smallest offence against their dignity and their existence.
We have to make a world which is safe for our daughters, colleagues, friends, sisters and even our mothers. The consequence will be bitter if we fail to do this.
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