Have you ever wondered in what way is violence against women on the rise? why violence against women is on the rise? Are women experiencing more violence than ever before? There are so many such questions yet to be answered. Today, women are experiencing harassment and violence that have never been heard before. The truth is that women are often not safe even in their own homes. Today’s family environment is shaped by the rewards of social instruction created in a patriarchal and desirable system. Even today, our families have the same family environment that fosters the understanding that women should bear everything. Girls are brought up by parents with a little more discipline. They say that the reason for that is that after marriage, she has to go to another family, so she needs to be quiet and compact. Girls are brought up with these terms and told at an early age. It is not to say that girls should not be disciplined. But when it comes to boys, parents are not so strict. Parents have a caring attitude towards boys that they have to live with them in the future and they are the ones to depend on. A women-friendly environment can only be created if this discriminatory attitude can be changed and female equality is achieved. It should start with families. Girls have their own personalities and they should make that impression themselves.
Attitudes toward women should be changed
It is said that violence against women is on the rise. Women are experiencing more violence than ever before. Let us look at in what way is violence against women on the rise. Open a newspaper or listen to the news on TV. Is there a day without news of dowry deaths, suicides, and violence against women? If violence against women is to be reduced, attitudes toward them must change. There should be a change in attitude toward women. Ours is a country with a law that dictates that a woman’s dignity should not be hurt by word, deed, or even a look. But what is happening here every day? Violence against women is increasing day by day, posing a threat to the healthy life of society. Violence against women and mysterious deaths are increasing day by day. In a profit-oriented social order, every family relationship is disrupted. Family relationships are commercialized. It is shocking that in almost all rape cases, the victim’s nearest female relatives are also involved.
Does women’s dress code increase crime?
When talking about the ways in which violence against women increases, there is an accusation that the clothes worn by women encourage the increase in crimes. We don’t know how much truth there is, but the truth is that young children, grown women, and even boys are being molested. A quiet and peaceful life free from violence is every woman’s right. For that to be possible, the attitude towards women must be changed. It is very unfortunate that even from the justice sector there are references to women who complain about the humiliation they have faced, “The clothes you are wearing are the cause of your problems”. Is the clothing really the problem, or the defendant’s flawed mental state, or society’s view? Shouldn’t the attitude towards women be changed? Can violence against women be eliminated if we change the way we dress without changing our attitude toward them? On the one hand, the country’s rulers talk about women’s rights and empowerment; on the other hand, they formulate policies and programs that are contrary to it. It is painful to see its reflections and sequels even in references from the court. But what surprises and appalls us is that if provocative clothing is behind the rape of women, then why are innocent infants, seventy and eighty-year-old women being molested? Is it the pink frock of a one-and-a-half-year-old baby that seduces men or the shabby clothes of old women? However, it is good for women to avoid dressing in a way that attracts others.
Are women weak? Don’t women deserve freedom?
Another question that arises when we delve deeper into how violence against women increases is whether violence against women increases because they are weak. Are women weak? If you ask a question like this, there are those who say yes and there are those who say no. Then the next question is don’t women deserve freedom? According to Manusmriti, girls should be under the protection of their father during adolescence, under the protection of their husbands during their youth, and under the protection of their sons during their old age. Does this mean that women do not deserve freedom? No, never. Children need their father’s protection. Be it female or male. Girls and women are not the only ones who are sexually abused. Many boys are also being exploited. Parents should be able to control their children. It should not be seen as an encroachment on freedom. It is the husband’s duty to protect his wife. A man should only marry a woman if he is capable of protecting her. There are various schemes for the upliftment of women from the government side. Apart from that multilateral laws, the promulgation of constitutional provisions, various movements for women’s welfare, and so on. And yet we still haven’t been able to change our jaundiced perception of women, which makes the condition of women so pathetic and deplorable.
Should a girl stay in her husband’s house after marriage?
When a woman gets married and moves from her own home to her husband’s home, she expects and hopes for many things. She wants the affection of her husband’s parents, her husband’s love, friendship, and romance. But within a few days, she will realize that such a life exists only in stories and dreams. For some girls, their husband’s house is hell. The husband’s house is a place where some of our girls suffer a lot of abuse, i.e. physical and mental abuse. Dowry harassment, suicide, and murder are increasing day by day. If that is the case, then one thing we should think about is that after the wedding, should the girl go to a completely unfamiliar house, that is, to her husband’s house? Why do we force our daughters whom we are bringing up with so much attention, love, pampering, and good education to go to another house and suffer? Is there any problem if the groom i.e. the girl’s husband stays in the girl’s house after the wedding?
Ours is a culture that places great importance on family relationships. This is also a reason for increasing violence against women. Therefore, when girls say there is a problem or difficulty in their husbands’ houses or at work, sometimes we pretend not to see it. If our daughters tell us about their difficulties, we should never dismiss them as trivial. If not, we will have to see them die of snake bites, burns, or suffocation. Why give so much gold, money, and property to make the in-laws happy? Despite all this, do our daughters have peace of mind and security there? It is high time we changed our thinking. If we do not change, dowry abuse, suicide, and murder will only increase. Let the sons we raise grow up to respect girls. Men should know that the wife is not a slave who has to live according to her husband’s wishes and the orders of her husband and family. He should know that she has her own dreams, hopes, desires, and rights and a wife is never a slave to her husband. They should be made to understand that women themselves are money(wealth) and there is no need for any other dowry. May our boys and girls grow up to be good-hearted.
Do women get the respect they deserve?
Although it is said that our culture is to respect women, we have to wonder if we are far behind in respecting them. It should be suspected that violence against women is increasing because of that. Long ago, in ancient times, the family was supported by both men and women working together. But in the course of time, when a man grew economically and socially and felt capable of supporting the family alone, he started to go to work, handing over the responsibilities of the family to the woman. Thus, patriarchy gradually strengthened in society. Cultures of disrespect for women were formed. Later she also went out with him to find a job. She worked hard and also did household chores. In a way, it is a relief to the man, as she also took over the responsibilities of the family and became financially stable. But she didn’t get the respect she deserves.
Will there ever be an end to violence against women?
Violence against women is on the rise. It is dangerous to increase the number of eyes looking lustfully at women at workplaces, study places, and even at home. There are those who pretend to be in love and throw our girls into pits of deceit. The fact that women are not safe anywhere is worrying. Undoubtedly, domestic violence and discrimination against the girl child can disrupt family relationships. Respecting women and treating them as equals is the true sign of cultural growth. Let it be a part of our culture to take care of our mothers, sisters, and daughters.
Mysterious deaths of women and children have become a regular occurrence in our country. Men who have lost their sanity due to disturbances in family life or due to intoxicants trap girls and abuse them in various ways. Not knowing what to do next, the girl who has lost her life ends her life with a piece of rope or a pinch of poison. Those who put them in this situation are looking for the next victim. There is no way out even if a case is filed. Do those who have the political clout to help and the ability to take the law into their own hands fear anyone? The girl who dies or ends her life is blamed by society as a bad girl.
Parents need to be very careful. Keep your children close to you. Children should have the belief that their father and mother will be with them no matter what problem they face, be it a girl or a boy. When children have a problem, the first thing that comes to their mind should be the face of their own parents. Girls should learn to understand the meaning of the hunter’s smile on the way. Strive to successfully complete the journey that is life. Let them understand that my life is not to end with a cubit of rope or two drops of poison.
There are some men who wear the sheepskin of dignity. He uses sweet words to slyly reach her heart. Praises and good wishes that she doesn’t get from home or from her partner bring her closer to him. She fulfills his little wishes so that she does not lose his friendship and love. When she tries to escape a mistake, he drags her into an even bigger one. We don’t understand why today’s women fall into such pitfalls despite being so educated. Women need the wisdom to understand that what we see and hear is not the whole truth. Only then will women be able to see and understand the pitfalls before them?
The Dowry system is a major reason for the increase in violence against women. The idea that women are the greatest wealth should be strengthened in society. A woman is not something to be bargained for at the time of marriage, on the contrary, it is necessary to ensure the equal rights of daughters in their father’s property like sons. The time has come to put an end to the extravagance of wedding jewelry. Additionally, it is not a good idea to create extravaganzas with the money received from the bride’s family during the marriage. The paternal property received by the wife can be kept as a provision for future generations.
Even though the Dowry Prohibition Act has been in force for years, the loopholes in the law remain. No one comes forward to complain to dowry prohibition officers even though the law makes giving, receiving, and inducing dowry a crime. As a result, mysterious deaths of newlyweds have become a regular occurrence. It cannot be treated as dowry in the eyes of the law, as the relatives and parents give these as ‘mere gifts’.
Final thoughts
Problems faced by women at home and in society are many. Violence against women is on the rise. Women are experiencing more violence than ever before. If we take a closer look at the life of a girl child, most of the girls follow their parents and live in their own homes till marriage. After marriage, she lives for her husband and his family. After having children, she lives for her husband, children, and also for those in the husband’s household. People say that it is terribly difficult to understand women, even after living for others all their lives. Yes, it’s terribly difficult. The one who happily bears everything and whatever she does gets nothing but insults and accusations, the one who smiles with all the pains and troubles inside. Yes, it is difficult to understand her.
There should be collective interventions to achieve equality between men and women in the fields of education, employment, and public spaces and to utilize the working capacity of educated women for the development of the country itself. Continuous interventions should be targeted through different types of campaigns to change the perception of women in future generations of the general public. Otherwise, violence against women will only increase. Women’s safety will remain a distant dream.
Reference: Facebook post
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