Stop the Brutality: RSTV – Big Picture

Rajya Sabha TV programs like ‘The Big Picture’, ‘In Depth’ and ‘India’s World’ are informative programs that are important for UPSC preparation. In this article, you can read about the discussions held in the ‘Big Picture’ episode on “Stop the Brutality” for the IAS exam.

The Big Picture – Stop the Brutality:- Download PDF Here

Anchor – Frank Rausan Pereira

Guests – Roopa Ganguly, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha; Viplove Thakur, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha; Aditi Tandon, Special Correspondent, The Tribune.

Context:

The issue of the rape and murder of the Hyderabad veterinary doctor, along with the increasing number of similar cases caused the lawmakers in the Rajya Sabha to condemn the gruesome act and call for stricter laws against the perpetrators. The issue was raised in both houses of the parliament.

Background:

• The veterinary doctor from Hyderabad was raped before being charred to death.  The burnt body of the victim was found at Shadnagar outskirts in Telangana’s Ranga Reddy district.
• Meanwhile, the body of a six-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped and strangled to death with her school belt, was found in Tonk district of Rajasthan.
• The police have arrested the accused involved in the cases. Four people were arrested for the rape and murder of the veterinary doctor and, one person for the rape and murder of the six-year-old girl. 

Violence against women stems from deep-rooted gender-based discrimination, social norms and gender stereotypes. The violence on women has devastating effects on their mental health. 

Issues:

• Violence against women starts from home, when they’re subjected to inequality and denial of opportunities. There are situations wherein the family itself is the cause behind such grotesque acts that prevent the victims from registering a complaint. 
• The lack of trust in the criminal justice system prevents almost 95 percent of the victims from reporting a crime. 
• There are sufficient laws present in the constitution, however, they are not implemented properly. Laws have not yielded much deterrence against the rising incidences of violence on women.
• Also, there are large vacancies for qualified lawyers in the criminal justice system. 

• The judicial process for the judgement on NIRBHAYA criminals is still underway. Despite the case being a national outrage, and crossing the limits of human brutality, the judgement is yet to be implemented.
• Focus is placed on temporary measures, instead of working on strengthening the system.
  • Measures such as restricting the movement of women are not going to be effective in the prevention of such crimes.

Challenges:

• The judiciary takes a minimum of 7-10 years before pronouncing judgement for the rape cases.
  •  The victims often find themselves on the receiving end of the penalty for the crime.
• The police are not empathetic and lack gender-sensitization in their training.
• Criminal laws are amended, but the situation has not changed after the amendment.
  • In the Hyderabad victim’s case, the victim’s picture was splashed with impunity across social media platforms despite Supreme Court rules which state that the victim’s family’s consent is a prerequisite. However, the sex offenders’ pictures were nowhere to be seen.

Way Forward:

• Violence against women is an issue which has to be dealt with a “prevention is better than cure” approach. 
• The changes should first start at home. Awareness-raising and community mobilization, through media and social media, is an important component of an effective prevention strategy.
  • Prevention should start early in life, by educating and working with young boys and girls, promoting respectful relationships and gender equality. Social awareness should be encouraged.
  • Working with youth is the best bet for faster, sustained progress on preventing and eradicating gender-based violence.
• Unanimous political will should be present to tackle the problem.
• Police reforms are the need of the hour. The police should be given training on how to deal with the affected women and be empathetic. 
  • Police should file “attempt to rape/molestation charges” when informed instead of dismissing them, as these are equally inhumane acts outraging the modesty of the woman involved.
  • Zero FIR should be filed when the police are informed about a case.
• The judiciary has to work in a time-bound manner in order to provide justice on time.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs should publish a sex offender’s directory. 
  • Such cases are tried and convicted much better in the west as western countries follow the sex directory as a normal policing strategy which keeps a tab on the offenders.
• A census of missing children should be conducted, as there is a suspicion that these children have been abducted for sex trafficking.

Conclusion: 

Justice Anand justified his sentence in the Dhananjay case, as “a murderer destroys the body of a victim whereas the rapist destroys the person’s very soul.” The pandemic of rising crimes against women hasn’t built up overnight. It is a lethal combination of various factors on various levels. A collective response is required from the system, the society, police system and the criminal justice system to tackle the issue. The country is currently in need of stricter enforcement and effective implementation of the existing laws with unanimous political will, and administrative skill. To kill the social evil from the root, a drastic change in the mindset of people has to be brought about.

The Big Picture – Stop the Brutality:- Download PDF Here

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Read previous RSTV articles here.