How safe are our daughters?

On a slow train between Shoranur and Vallathol Nagar in Kerala 23-year-old Soumya was brutally attacked — first kicked out of her compartment by a criminal and then dragged into the bushes where he raped and wounded her fatally. After five days in hospital, Soumya died. She had been travelling back to her home for her pennukaanal, the occasion on which a prospective groom and his family come to inspect the bride. In the media reports that followed, the fact that she was on her way to be married dominated the narrative. That, and the fact that at the time at which she was being violated so brutally, there were other men in the train who saw the incident and that none bothered to pull the chain or report the incident.

Much has been made of the fact that liberalisation has brought empowerment to Indian women. There are many poster images — the working woman in a corporate suit, particularly, or the one who keeps a balance between family and career. But empowerment, in its most basic sense, is about women from all classes having free access to public spaces — like a girl travelling home on a train alone. It isn’t. And the resounding answer to the question, “Are our daughters safe?” is that they have never been in more danger. Both in public spaces and in private spaces like the home.

The statistics confirm this. Nearly one in four Indian men were found to have committed sexual violence at some point in their lives and one in five to have forced his wife or partner to have sex, according to the findings of a recent International Men and Gender Equality Survey. And according to the National Crime Records Bureau, crimes against women have increased over the years, reaching 8,120 cases registered in 2009. The numbers are disturbing — 1,023 rapes, 799 kidnappings and abductions and 384 dowry deaths. Similarly, 2,697 cases of molestation have been recorded along with 210 cases of sexual harassment and eve-teasing.

Ironically, the more people get used to the idea of women being in public spaces, the greater the antagonism towards them. Psychiatrist Philip John from Kerala says the increase in sexual violence could be due to the innumerable opportunities for men and women to come together in unsupervised situations. “The occasions where women become more vulnerable have increased. People who seem decent may show criminal tendencies when they get an opportunity.”

But it seems no better in ‘supervised’ situations. A survey published last November by the Centre for Transforming India says more than 80 per cent of the female employees of information technology, business process outsourcing and knowledge process outsourcing (BPO/KPO) companies surveyed had experienced some form of workplace sexual harassment. Over 50 per cent said it was extreme —  abusive language, physical contact or demands for sexual favours — and 72 per cent of the incidents involved superiors. Forty-two per cent of the respondents said they did not know how to report the incident.

Closer home

The year 2009 also saw 2,047 cases of cruelty by husbands and relatives and this is something that’s disturbingly familiar. “It’s been there in large extended families,” says Kalpana Kannabiran, president of the Asmita Resource Centre for Women. “When the violation takes place in the home, as is  often the case, the abuse is effectively condoned by tacit silence, and by the passivity displayed by the state, and the law-enforcing machinery too.”

Karuna (*name changed) was barely out of college when a friend proposed marriage. She accepted and they left for the United States where the husband proved to be abusive. Unable to take it, she got a divorce and stayed back to pursue her studies rather than return home.

Why did she accept the very first proposal that came her way? “Not because I really liked the guy, but I was desperate to escape from my father.” It turns out that he had abused her sexually since she was 15. Worse was to come when her mother died. “It only got more convenient for him. It was sickening, but he was my dad, who also showered me with affection and took care of me. I left him at the first opportunity but the man I chose was worse…”

Then there is Ankita*, who had no inkling of what she was in for when she married Arnab*. For more than a decade now, she has been subjected to mental and physical abuse. It started in the very first year,  but despite her economic independence and professional success this 37-year-old marketing executive has chosen to conform and “save” the marriage. Again, this may be another outcome of liberalisation — as more women join the workforce, there is growing concern that their very success triggers the resentment of the spouse and often ends in abuse.

Child Sexual Abuse

“The national report on child sexual abuse says that there is an increase in cases and often the culprits are those close to the child,” says advocate Sandhya Raju, director of the Human Rights Law Network. Consider these cases from Kerala: An 11-year-old is raped by her father, a Gulf returnee, when the mother goes to work. This goes on till she is 13. He makes many other attempts but she resists and he beats her up. She goes to a hostel but he beats her whenever she comes home. Now 30, she is psychologically affected.

A five-year-old playing with her friends outside the house is lured by her 13-year-old neighbour to his house and raped repeatedly. She is now a disturbed child. “In today’s world, when both parents are working, daughters are often alone at home. Friends and relatives drop in and sometimes exploit them. I know of girls in Class 8, 9 and 10 who have had sexual relationships with boys who are 22 or older,” says Prakash Chandran.

Cases of sexual abuse have been reported from schools, too. In Hyderabad last year, Mohammed Salauddin Ayub Khan, 55, director of the elite Parkwood International School in Vikarabad near the city, was arrested for repeatedly raping a Plus One student over four months. The girl, from Mumbai, became pregnant and that was when the matter came to light.

In another case from Bangalore, a 13-year-old student was molested by her school van driver in February last year. The victim, a class VIII student from Carmel Convent, had gone for special classes and was on her way home. Raju, a bar attendant at a club in Jayanagar had come as driver that day as the driver deputed by the school was on leave. After dropping all the other students, Raju took her to an isolated place and molested her, threatening to hurt her further if she told anybody. It was only after he started to call the home landline frequently, that her parents grew concerned and the girl told them about the incident.

Migrant labourers

The increase in industrialisation is often supported by large populations of migrant labour from other states and this creates its own problems. These are the people who drive industrial growth but they are often forced to live in the most difficult conditions with very little by way of security. Again, it is the women who are most vulnerable and the stories are grim.

Lanjigarh district in Orissa, known for its minerals, has attracted many mining companies. Here, sexual abuse of adolescent girls is rampant, according to studies commissioned in the area. They say adolescent girls kept as housemaids are often sexually abused. “Trafficking cases, cases of unwed mothers are increasing by the day. About two years ago, 10 girls went missing. I am sure they have been trafficked because of large scale industrialisation in the area,” says Kanchan Harijan of Barapada village in Lanjigarh.

Sunitha Krishnan, founder of Hyderabad-based Prajwala, an organisation that works to stop human trafficking has rescued 4,268 girls to date. She gives a grisly account of what happens: “For instance, an eight-year-old girl can be beaten up badly or confined with a snake to terrorise her into submission. And there have been cases of men putting chilli powder in the vagina of girls to induce orgasm. The general apathy towards these problems stuns Sunitha. “People are always asking for numbers. How many gory stories do I have to narrate to get them to take note?” she asks.

Lack of action

“More sexual abuse cases are being reported now,” says Advocate Sandhya. But when it comes to booking the culprits enforcement agencies seem weak. She feels the Domestic Violence Act can be used if the abuse is within the confines of your home. “A Protection Officer is supposed to look into such cases as the victims may be unwilling to open up to police. But often these officers fail to do their duty. They should be given proper training to empower the child and the family,” she says.

Asha Hans, activist and president of Sansristi, a research institution in Orissa that works for women, draws another interesting inference. The more women have started protesting, the number of cases has increased. ‘The changes in society are happening so fast that we need time to adjust. And the state must take responsibility, the bureaucracy and police need to be sensitised on issues related to crime against women.’’

On a recent visit to the state, National Commission for Women chairperson Girija Vyas questioned the role of police in dealing with violence against women. “Though the crime recorded a rise of up to 22 per cent, very few FIRs have been registered in the state. The laws aren’t being executed and such cases are

not seriously pursued either,’’ she said.

Bangalore’s Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Alok Kumar admits that victims of sexual abuse always think twice before approaching the police. “if the victim is educated and from an affluent class, she usually comes forward to file a complaint against the culprits. But, we can’t say the same thing when it comes to economically weaker sections, as they would not even be aware of the laws.”

— Inputs from: Gokul Vannan (Tamil Nadu), MG Chetan (Karnataka), Swati Sharma (Andhra Pradesh), Kasturi Ray (Orissa), Manu Vipin (Kerala)

Posted in: The Report