Women are equally human, they need better treatment

Notwithstanding the instant justice inflicted on the perpetrators of the heinous rape and murder of Disha in Hyderabad, the mental agony among female gender of different age groups continue unabated in our country.

For the past 10 days, there has been a lurking fear haunting parent of every girlchild. This fear, deriving from the very fact that even in a teeming megalopolis, on a busy highway, a woman with a respectable social standing, is not safe and can be brutally gang-raped and cold-bloodedly killed, makes parents of girlchildren victims of anxiety, alarm and nervousness.

Parents seem frightened over the series of incidents that occurred in the country as a whole and in their vicinity amidst angst and consternation. Under these circumstances it has become apt to touch certain aspects that deals with the human values that a woman too is entitled to enjoy.

Before stepping out to extend our solidarity to victims and relatives of grievous, heinous incidents, I would like to ask how many of us, who sit with our boys and men, observed their reaction towards such incidents and educated them about how a woman throughout her entire life - right from her childhood to old age - need to be treated.

Here, I say forget about the respect, but how well is she accepted by men let she be poor, rich, maid, boss, uneducated, well-educated, empowered or belonging to caste, race or religion.

What is the take of society towards them? Is a female just a piece of flesh or a fellow human to them? The woman's dressing, her attitude and her lifestyle are just a curtain to throw on her when she is not properly treated, molested, raped and murdered. Enough of this blame game.

Why don't boys, teenagers and men need to be taught how they need to behave. Women are not sex toys not even in the wildest of dreams of society. They are equally human, in fact, more well-mannered, intelligent and hardworking than men.

Just because you feel you are physically strong, the women are not willing to be victims of your wild and vicious pleasures. Be it your wife, or in fact any woman in your life, remember a "No" is a "No".

We fight for gender equality and the women is compelled to become victim for your egos, sexual pleasures and entertainment?

Now wat is the fight for? Is it for equality or for a basic right of being alive? We are marching towards space, yet we are deprived of place on this planet. Our thoughts are puzzled and our lives are juggled.

Despite the innumerable uncertainties, we rise every day to meet our dreams and out of nowhere the cannibals come and burn them to ashes - not just our dreams but our lives too.

Right from mother's womb we start our fight to live. Can't we have our first breathe on this earth just like our male counterpart can? Do we need to prove our capabilities by showcasing what other women had achieved in their fields and made India proud? Most of the families show a clear demarcation in the upbringing of their kids with male children being treated on a higher level compared to females and in these limited restricted opportunities, women strive hard to earn their livelihood and yet it's a never ending story.

Women, in this patriarchal society, are left with no choices. And after all the struggles for survival and fight with against the odds, still men think women are weak, but do u have any idea how a woman goes through the toughest pain of giving birth to child?

India's average rate of reported rape cases is about 6.3 per 100,000 of the population. However, this makes vast geographical differences with places like Sikkim and Delhi having rates of 30.3 and 22.5, respectively, while Tamil Nadu has a rate of less than one. Of course, one must be careful in interpreting these State-wise differences as these are 'reported' cases and could suffer from under-reporting.

The occurrence of incidents of molestation is growing in alarming proportions in the recent years in the country. A cursory glance at the statistics of the reported cases of molestation and murders reflect that the social animals have transformed into beasts.

Even India's average rate of 6.3, which is not very high when compared with the rest of the world, suffers from under-reporting. According to a recent report by the Livemint, about 99% of cases of sexual violence go unreported. If true, this would put India among the nations with highest levels of crimes against women.

India's cases of reported rape have seen a massive jump in the last few years, mainly owing to the outrage and awareness created out of the unfortunate Nirbhaya case. Reported cases jumped by a massive 26 % in 2013, the highest in the last 15 years, mainly driven by an increase of reports in the States of Northern India, like Rajasthan, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. The trend is also mirrored for all crimes against women, and not just rape, which also saw an increase of 26% in 2016.

Subsequent to the inhuman torching of Unnao rape victim, the need to study, observe and educate women has become inevitable. A sense of anguish, a nagging fear, is constantly flickering in minds of girlchildren's parents. I request the parents of boys to take care of your sons and, alas, if something goes wrong with their behaviour towards our daughters, they will be caught because our nation is watching, and they will not be spared. It is not a request but a warning.

(The author is a medical doctor, social activist and philanthropist based in Warangal)