Last Sunday evening in one of the most shocking incidents of its kind I can recall, a young 23 year old woman, a paramedic student, was gang-raped by a group of men in suburban Delhi. Sadly gang-rapes are nothing new but this crime has convulsed India. Politicians have made statements in Parliament, the female Chief Minister of Delhi has been under siege and Bollywood stars have commented vocally. Some of the statements made by influential men almost hark back to similar statements made in the UK 20 years ago.
The young woman and a male friend got on board a passing unlicensed school bus after spending the evening at a cinema in a mall. Already on board the bus were 6 men who proceeded to rape the woman repeatedly. They beat both her and the man, who had tried to protect her, with an iron bar. Then the two were dumped nearly naked at the side of the road. The young woman is in a “critical but stable” condition after having part of her intestines removed and lies in Safdarjung Hospital ICU in Delhi. It is reported the victim was taken off a ventilator on Friday after 5 operations. She was visited by Sonia Gandhi, president of the ruling Congress Party.
The Home Secretary R.K. Singh has taken an active interest in the case holding a press conference with the Delhi Police Commissioner to announce 5 arrests and the search for another suspect. Furthermore, he announced a crackdown on any misbehaviour with women. He promised to make Delhi a safer place for women. In addition there was to be strict licensing of all vehicles plying for trade, whether buses, taxis and autos. The police promised swift action in case of any complaints against any driver.
There has been some disquiet about the actions of the police in the aftermath of the rape in tracking down the suspects but the Police Commissioner defended his force. The Home Secretary, however, made an unannounced visit to a police station and found a number of officers “missing”; thereafter the “missing” officers were suspended.
The reaction of Indian personalities has been voluble and persistent. A.R. Rahman, the Bollywood composer said:
“It is doomsday because somebody has done such a big harm to humanity. It is disrespect to humanity. If you don't fix it now, it is shame for the nation.”
Activist and actress Shabana Azmi said:
"What we really need to do is to use this shocking incident as a wake-up call to demand fast-track courts, speedy justice, and a process of investigation that is firm; there has to be the certainty of punishment for the accused."
The elder statesman of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan added on Facebook:
“Wanted to say so much of the day.. but so disturbed by the gang rape case in Delhi.. Atrocious and unforgivable!!...The fear of system, of order, of conduct guided by justice, is fast disappearing. Is this the freedom that our elders fought for!!.... even an animal would not behave so...
...Durga, Kali, Lakshmi are goddesses... we pay homage to them, respect them. Women need to be respected, and given pride of place."
Bachchan’s wife Jaya, herself an actress, was very emotional in Parliament demanding that she be heard despite the Speaker attempting to limit her opportunity to speak.
This type of rape appears to be on the increase in India and with social media becoming more important, and the prevalence of camera phones there is more publicity about such horrific crimes with protesters being able to organise effectively and speedily. There are 24 hour news channels in all major languages reporting on such crimes and the reaction to them.
There have been other publicised rape cases recently. The rape and molestation of a young woman in a bar in Gawahati, Assam, was filmed by a TV crew, seen by many others but no- one intervened. It was only when the footage was aired on TV, shared on social media that activists began to protest. In Gurgaon, a business district near Delhi, a call centre worker was raped but the case has still not got to court after 2 years.
'Eve-teasing', the low-level harassment of women, has alas in recent years been a part of Indian life. Such conduct will not be a surprise to women who came of age in the 1960s and 70s in the UK, but it seems harassment akin to wolf-whistling has diminished in recent years in the UK. Women in India report that gangs of young men make comments or gestures, and anecdotally there has been an increase in reports of unsolicited touching in crowded public places such as buses and trains.
As happened in the UK in the past, some in India suggest that the victim is to blame for any attack; “she is drunk, a prostitute or wearing provocative clothes”. Such comments were often made by judges in the UK as if to mitigate the defendant’s behaviour. We have thankfully moved on in the UK and a man would not now be able to use the victim’s conduct in mitigation. There has also been a focus on the Bollywood portrayal of women as a contributor to the development of male conduct. In many Bollywood films women are shown in short skirts, with exposed cleavages, and being promiscuous. This may encourage men to believe women are available. But despite any “provocation” or films such male attitudes to women are never acceptable.
In these circumstances it is not surprising that India was voted by 370 gender specialists globally to be the worst country in the G20 to be a woman (survey conducted by TrustLaw). This is primarily because of infanticide, child marriage and slavery - all indicative of general attitudes to women.
Some have suggested that India is a potentially violent society; this is exemplified by the fact that drivers have often been attacked after a traffic accident. Drivers now typically make their escape after any incidents. There is also seemingly a lack of respect for fellow citizens: there is no common courtesy, and a lack of civil societal precepts. So, for example, on a number of occasions people have been attacked with no intervention from bystanders. In most Western countries there would be interventions and the police would be called immediately. There is also as I have noticed on my travels a lack of courtesy and civility generally. It’s what might be termed an“ I’m alright, Jack” society meaning if my family, friends and I are well and protected I have no concern for the welfare of others.
There is a perception that some men feel emasculated by the numbers of well-educated, assertive women, and that they could never aspire to their lifestyles and careers. This may be particularly among those who are socially disadvantaged. There is also a growing gender imbalance in Indian society - a result of the preference for boys over girls - which may mean fewer marriageable young women. In addition, young men are feted within families perhaps feeding a perception of superiority over women. Furthermore, there has been a large influx of young men into Indian cities from the surrounding regions in particular now without the guidance and supervision of their elders. All of these factors have their part to play in violence against women.
Caste is relevant here as large sections of the Indian population are effectively excluded from the world of BMWs and Mercedes, luxury apartments and malls they see around them. The lifestyles they see would never be attainable because of their caste and education which are related. Young men in particular will see, despite perhaps living in slums, unattainable lifestyles on TV, the Internet, and through social media, and may not accept that their lives can be constrained by a lack of social mobility.
In the long- term India needs to address these issues as there are already two or more nations: the haves and have nots. The middle and upper classes will continue to see their incomes and wealth increase but it may have to be a life lived in gated communities and with armed guards protecting them.