A few years ago, when the Indian Parliament passed the Nirbhaya Act to curb offences against women, it sparked hope across the nation. Many believed that the implementation of this important law would lead to a decline in crime rates. However, despite the stringent provisions of the Act and the death sentence awarded to those convicted in the Nirbhaya case, incidents of criminal assault continue to occur with alarming frequency. The reasons behind these crimes are diverse and complex, but one stark reality stands out: there remains a troubling sense of impunity among perpetrators as many believe that they won’t get caught and neither would victims speak up due to societal stigma. The fundamental question that lingers is: What drives someone to commit such a heinous act in the first place? Clearly, there is a deficiency in the mental and moral framework of a person—something that restrains law-abiding individuals from even considering such actions. To understand this, we must first acknowledge that such a person does not view women the way others do. For such individuals, the modesty, honor, and dignity of a woman are of little consequence. Instead, they see women as mere objects of gratification. This warped mindset lies at the root of the rising cases of sexual violence. The proof of this is to be found everywhere – be it on all visual platforms, print platforms and in the pervert language and behaviour of men in public places, buses and trains, which our mother’s and sisters have to tolerate on a daily basis.
Of late, there has been a trend of fitting provocative material into anything and everything. At a casual glance, this kind of material appears overtly harmless, but carries subtle, cleverly crafted subliminal messages that seep into the psyche of people of all age groups who consume them day in and out thereby promoting a culture of promiscuity. That is why, there is no wonder that in many recent cases of crime, juveniles are among the accused. Since these images and videos are everywhere, it is making more and more people perceive them as normal. Nowadays, youngsters consider it ‘cool’ to use vocabulary which was once considered indecent and disrespectful towards women. Hence, it can be easily said that, the growing cases of criminal assault on women are nothing but the harvest of seeds of moral degeneration that are being sown by these vulgar images that are being transported through various mediums. So, unless we fully realize the extent of damage that is being done to our society by this vulgarity, which is fast becoming a norm, we may soon reach a point of no return. Then, no woman will be safe in our cities, by day or night.
The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal and the UK, and has written more than 8,000 columns. He can be contacted at [email protected] / www.brahmakumaris.com
