Rape cases are ‘underreported’ in deprived areas, and victims often do not get justice

By Sudhansu R Das

The horrific incident of rape and murder of a sincere resident doctor at RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata has triggered a nationwide protest by the medical community, political parties and the general public. Prime Minister Narendra Modi advocates death penalty for rapists. He said that fear should be instilled in the minds of the offenders.

If the offender belongs to the rich and influential class, he has several ways to be acquitted. It is good that the CBI is investigating the rape of RG Kar in the hospital; the CBI investigation could reveal the real faces behind the rape and other heinous crimes committed in hospitals.

The citizens’ trust in the justice system must be restored, without which no country will progress. Inclusive justice is the foundation of a developed nation. While the death penalty and harsh punishments act as a deterrent, they will not reduce the growing sexoholism in society.

The best solution to reduce sexual crimes is quality moral education in schools; children must learn to respect women throughout their studies. Only morally strong teachers can teach moral lessons to children.

It is essential that the government invests more in schools and appoints quality school principals who can lead the teaching staff and develop responsible citizens. It is high time to teach self-defense to both boys and girls; a girl can defend herself while a boy can rescue a woman in distress.

Police and judges must be honest and ensure that punishments are carried out swiftly. No innocent person should be punished by the law or harassed by the police. The law should protect those who dare to fight predators. In many cases, people remain silent for fear of false accusations.

Over the years, smartphones have become a moral hazard. Most children are easily lured by adult content. It has long been claimed that smartphones help in browsing through academic information. In reality, it causes more harm than good.

If the offender belongs to the wealthy and influential class, he has several means to be acquitted.

If smartphones help to study, why keep schools and teachers? The free circulation of sexual content on the Internet degrades the morality of our children. It will create a dangerous atmosphere that will be difficult to control in the long term.

Rising unemployment, inflation, concentration of jobs in big cities, loss of interest of village youth in physical labour, city-centric education, erosion of community capital like ground water, rivers, diversity of crops, mineral resources and minor forest products etc., are forcing youth to migrate to distant cities in search of employment; this is dismantling the family system that once taught children discipline and moral values. Majority of sexual crimes occur due to this migration and break-up of families.

When young people from villages and small towns go to big cities to study or work, there is no one to guide them. Many of them fall in with the wrong crowd, return home late at night, become addicted to sex, alcohol and drugs. There is a need to create more jobs in small towns and villages by tapping into the natural sector of the economy and developing the skills of the local youth. The root causes of sexual crimes must be addressed with determination.