Economy and crime against women: measures that can change the mindset

Abstract

THE month of March 2013 was unique: while the anti-rape Bill was being discussed and passed in Parliament, crime against women continued unabated across India. This is a cause for concern for a country which not only nurses a dream but also aspires to be a super power. To achieve this goal, an increasing number of women would be required to actively participate in the job market. Furthermore, it is necessary that women in India feel equally secure outside their homes, especially in North India. To ensure security to women, it would not be just sufficient to provide more security on the streets or public transport but also to investigate the psychological and social reasons as to why such instances occur in a country where so many goddesses are regularly worshipped.

Historically, for more than two thousand years, from the time of Alexander in 326 BC, North India has been plundered and looted by invaders. Included in the loot were also a large number of women who would be sold away in far-away markets like commodities. The invasions by Mahmud Ghazni and Mongol forces are also well known. Over the centuries, it seems to have become a routine matter to dishonour women, and Herculean efforts by Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar, Raja Rammohun Roy or Swami Vivekananda could not change the situation. During Partition and in independent India, too, many crimes against women, including those in recent times, for political reasons, can be recollected. Read more at: https://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130422/edit.htm#4