Why Indian Women continue to face Brutal Sexual and Physical Violence?

Violence against women goes unabated in India. In the latest, two girls were gang-raped in a remote town of a northern state in India and then mercilessly hung from a tree. Reportedly, delay in police action failed to save the lives of the girls. To add to the tragedy and misery the state chief minister, under pressure from the scribes over rising cases of violence in the state, made a comment that lacked sensitivity or concern. When asked repeatedly about the safety of women in the state, he reportedly shot back at the journos and asked them - I hope you have face no danger. The comment has not gone down well with anyone and the opposition has already made it an issue. But beyond all the politics, family of the girls continue to face attacks and reel under unimaginable trauma. Their lives have been scared beyond repair.

Women in this part of the world including India continue to face sexual and brutal physical violence. Media has highlighted such incidents especially after the Delhi gang rape incident, raising public awareness. Some steps have been taken by governments like setting up women cell etc Despite all this incidents of such violence keeps happening that are emotionally draining for many people like me.

The question is why? Why sexual and physical violence against women continues in India?

Philip Zimbardo in his work - 'The Psychology of Evil' has perhaps the answer. What Zimbardo calls 'Lucifer Effect' explains that an individual behaviour is determined by three things - Individual disposition ( that is what is inside the individual); situation; and finally the system. Simply speaking it means that every individual has both good and bad inside and a bad situation brings the bad out of a person. The system that has various variables cultural, social etc. shapes the situation or in other words make a situation good or bad.

To say India is culturally, socially a male dominant society is a partial representation. Male domination in this nation in its fullest sense means that women are considered secondary in society. They are expected to conform with male norms of existence failing which they are subjected to abuse and torture. Male and female children are not brought up similarly in the same family. Girls are always asked to learn to adjust first to what her family wants, then what society wants, then what husband & in-laws want and finally even what children want. Boys grow up seeing their mothers and sisters given second class treatment and are never taught to respect girls and women. They grow expecting women to follow their orders without questioning. Such a 'system' creates a situation that makes insensitive men who have scant respect for women and in many cases women are objectified by men.

Most men end up mistreating women, in simplest form it happens as bad stares, lewd comments or eve-teasing; and in its most ugly & brutal form as rape and murder of women. Otherwise what explains recent cases of highly educated men in responsible positions engaging in obscene comments and acts on women. At the same time even juvenile boys are accused of sexual crime on women.

Do all men turn out like that?
No. There are heroes as well that come out of a bad situation. That may be because some aspects of their social variable was different. May be they grew up in very good families or may be they experienced in some way such torture on women and were exposed to such trauma at an early age. The micro-environment variable could also play a role. Certain states are less male dominant then the other.

Is there a hope for women?
Behaviour alteration requires alteration of situational variables, in this case cultural and social factors. However cultural and social transformation do not happen in a day. They take time. In case of India it will first require alteration in beliefs. That's not happening any sooner as well. In fact very recent casual and mild description of rapists by some politicians has shocked many like me in this nation. Then?

I reiterate judiciary is the only hope. Fast tracking of such cases and death penalty to rapists with unfailing regularity is the only way out. This is will disrupt the current social norm and hence the situation  from current state of almost indifference. A sense of Fear in the situation can be the only deterrent.

For stopping sexual and physical violence on women judicial proactivism is the only way. New tougher laws need to be enacted and implemented.

Whenever such initiatives start some social activists stand up against death penalty to criminals. Some one Please stand up for victim and stop empathizing with those who brutalize and demonize girls and women. These animals are beyond reform and need to be eliminated to protect the innocent.

Fear of justice needs to be instilled to change the social order.

Remember, the Lucifer effect! The system variables have to be altered to alter the situation and hence the behaviour.