Forced into sex trade as result of financial, filial and societal forcing, most girls are never allowed to quit either due to dependency or social stigma. Even those at home have to live under the tag of “bhale ghar ki ladki” and give the test of loyalty and ‘purity’.
Myths
Having intercourse with virgin brings beauty and luck, men can go up to Rupees 20,000 for girls, as young as 10. Another guy, who belonged to a group which gang raped a Bangladeshi girl, recalls enjoying the act, though regretting later. The police man, gives a shocking statement, asking women to cover more in order to make them less attractive and avoid rapes.
A case study
Naeem is an 11 year old, in Peshawar, Pakistan. He has a deep infatuation with drugs and hash. He loves movies too. Naeem is a runaway. He works as a rag-picker by the day and a male hooker by night. He was raped by 4 men, in a car. It started as an abuse but he developed it as a way to earn a few bucks. He is not the only one though. Many others like him wander the streets of Pakistan with pedophiles on hunt for them.
Another abuser, a bus conductor, was interviewed. He admits raping young boys and blames it on his helplessness and needs! While inquired about a desirable wife, he wants a religious Muslim girl from a respectable family; prays 5 times a day, and stays at home.
Do abusers enjoy?
They may be born psychopath, like Amarjit Sada of Bihar, India’s youngest serial killer or turn a sociopath owing to their individual reasons. They are, at times, on drugs. However, it is certain most of them don’t regret it or at least unless punished.
Rapes and abuses seem not to stop or even reduce. Such acts, although prevalent everywhere, make a major proportion of crimes in backward societies and developing countries. Maintaining status quo and mere dismissal of the problem in the hope of a future won’t be much of a help.
The mindset needs a revamping, the responsibility of which lies on school. Making noisy boys sit with girls is used as a punishment in school. Why? Everything is stigmatized. The change begins from co-ed schools. This will eventually lead to friendship and sports between both the genders, a healthy competition. Imagine, a school has disabled friendly infra, the normal kids won’t ever feel different or privileged later on in higher education, since its normalized. We assume anything new to be wrong.
Breaking the shackles
Not only women but men too are honor of the family. A martyr is pride of the family. Such attitude will create a warning sign to these potential rapists that they can be caught. Instead of teaching men and women to avoid each other and one day marry and sleep, we need to inculcate opportunities for them to interact. Indians do respect Rani Padmini for her Jauhar but we also hail Laxmi Bai and Madam Bhikaji Cama.
It should be left on the women what they want to be. Assumption or relations of tags of sensitivity, dramatic, weak or reservation, renders women inferior. It is high time to let women shoulder the responsibilities of household and work-office.
