Women Empowerment: An illusion?

Manaware Sunil Suresh:
When I read the news, three men raping a lady in group and I was stunned. Lot of thoughts started making rounds in my mind. The city which used to be the safer place for women and elderly persons is no more safer. We have been witnessing incidents of women getting raped and elderly people getting attacked with the purpose of robbery repeatedly. What’s more shocking, one of the three accused was deported for four months but the period of deportation was reduced to two months. Police needs to bring it to light that who was that influential person who reduced his period of deportation by pressurizing police.
The above fact has brought for the dubious connection between these kinds of criminals and politician. We also have come to the conclusion that now police is manipulated and pressurized for political gains of some rogue politicians.
After sixty years of democracy and so many legislations to empower woman, we still have been witnessing these kinds of incidents which bring the grave situation of women in the country to our notice. We still have not come out of mentality of mail domination. Any amount of law alone will not solve the problem and empower women but we need to implement these laws effectively and build confidence in women community that states does care for them. Perpetrators of such heinous crimes should be given exemplary punishment so as it to serve as a lesson for these kinds beasts in society.

One thing which intrigues me when I think about this particular crime is, in the last some days incidents these kinds have taken place. Our police should have learnt something from them and should have adopted some kind of effective mechanism to catch hold of these kinds ill mentality in society. In no circumstances then should surrender to political pressure. By saying that it again is wrong to expect everything to be done by police. Women should be cautious enough as to not to get in some strange person’s car or in any other way to avoid such unfortunate incidents.
Finally it becomes the responsibility of everyone including government, NGO’s and different social and cultural organizations and family to imbibe the values gender equality. Incidents of these kinds reflect the wretched attitude of male dominated society.
Legislations to empower women needs to be effectively implemented to counter such incidents. The hallow discussions of women empowerment would be of little use in the absence of paper and effective implementation of laws. The prevention of women from domestic violence act (PWDVA) has extremely good provisions but there is no proper system to implement that, sufficient and trained manpower should be appointed soon to encounter crimes against women. The women’s reservation bill seems to be optimistic symbol to empower women, thereby improving these in Loksabha and state legislative assemblies. All political parties forgetting there selfish political motives need to come together to convert bill into law by huge majority. Women and depressed classes in society have suffered a lot till now. This is high time for us to stand up and start marching towards a larger goal of converting biggest democracy in the world to equitable and meaningful democracy in the world.