Frequent Rapes: Causes and Prevention

Frequent Rapes: Causes and Prevention

Bishaldeep Kakati

(The author can be reached at deep.kakati99@gmail.com)

Though human civilization has undergone tremendous improvement in terms of living style or thought processes, yet civilization to an extent still hasn’t understood the ethos of modernization or urbanization to their very essence. And the conspicuous fact is that the atavistic animal instinct which was prevalent among tree or cave dwellers during the early years of survival unfortunately still hasn’t left their characteristic behaviour even in modern times, as a result of which many a time, human beings fail to maintain a pragmatic approach towards crucial elements constructing the society at large.

The fact is that even though society demands harmony and brotherhood among people, in reality and much to the disappointment of all, it is the frequent conflicts and heinous acts which have darkened the atmosphere of the society we live in, thus degrading it to a great extent. And that is the reason, we really need to question: Are humans really civilized?

It is indeed a well established fact that in the current context, whenever we talk about our society, we cannot remove from its circumference the perpetration of heinous crimes like cold-blooded murders, child trafficking, robbery, dacoity, mob lynching, witch hunt etc, and of course the one that is presumed to be the most atrocious of all — none other than ‘rape’. When we talk about rape, we can’t deny the fact that of late this disturbing crime has spread just like an epidemic, where even after numerous public discussions and deliberations, we have failed to find ways to deal with it.

If we deconstruct the word ‘rape’ in analytical manner, and find out the reasons of its occurrence, we might come across three probable factors: a) the sick mindset of certain individuals to jump upon the female section of the society, and thus express their animalistic attitude, b) the notion that darkness and un-chaperoned movement are the two biggest foes of women, and c) the concept of ‘human rights’ more often than not coming to the aid of the miscreants. And if we carefully analyze these three aspects and in the process find out the solutions, then somewhere down the line, the incidents of rape could be prevented to a great deal.

Incidents of rape basically occur because of the obscene mentality of certain individuals. If an individual always perceives the female section of the society as a piece of flesh to be pounced upon, then in no way incidents of rape would be reduced. However, if we carefully scrutinize the root cause for the development of this abhorrent mentality, we would realize that the poor upbringing of certain individuals is the basic cause behind this. Lack of education, illiteracy, proper awareness programme etc, also have negative impact on the overall mentality of individuals who commit heinous crimes like rape. The fact is that even in the 21st century, if people still feel ashamed to discuss in public about sex education or about youths attaining puberty, and in the process if individuals in their adolescence period are kept in the dark regarding all these vital aspects, then their curiosity to know the person of the other sex would simply keep on increasing. At a certain point, if they fail to control their temptation, then that desire might push them to commit the immoral act. However, this deliberation is not to bestow any sympathy upon the criminals, but only to eradicate this crime by analyzing the causes leading to it. In this regard, the role of the government as well as the guardians is very important.

The second probable cause of frequent occurrence of rape has to be related to the scenario where women commute alone during night. If we examine the incidents of rape, we would come across instances where more and more women are attacked especially during night-time, when they shuttle alone. And if this scenario is known to one and all, then it perplexes everyone to not to witness adequate number of street lights being constructed by the roadsides. These street lights if constructed in adequate numbers, would at least to an extent make the isolated streets look bright, thus nullifying the effect of darkness, which the miscreants often take advantage of. Furthermore, if the government can come up with ideas like FASTags for vehicles to track their movement, then it would be also beneficial if such types of devices are provided to the female section of the society, so that the same could be used by them especially when they pass through a deserted zone. And if these devices become successful in providing pin-point information about the location of a woman to the nearest police station, in case of emergency (by having options like SOS), then it would also become easier for police officials to reach the spot and rescue the victim. However, for this system to work properly, a combined effort would be required both from the IT sector as well as from the police department.

Added to this, the criminals are also of the mindset that even after committing rape, they won’t be liable for capital punishment. Hence in this regard the role of the Indian Judiciary is quite crucial. Although the judiciary of late has become stern in this regard, however the concept of ‘human rights’ often prevents the judiciary to execute the judgement within the stipulated time period. The basic point regarding this matter is that if someone destroys the rights of another for no valid reason, then in no situation the concept of human rights should be made applicable in the case of that criminal. And thus a change in the mindset could be really helpful in order to stop incidents of rape from occurring again and again.

It is high time to come up with the best measures possible to prevent frequent incidents of rape, be it by raising awareness or by laying down proper laws for the same. In the longer run, if India continuously fails to prevent the heinous crime of rape, then the nation would lose its pride and prestige at the global stage. A change at the earliest is a must.

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