WOMAN IS ONE of the most beautiful creations. She has a graceful attribute and an ethereal beauty, beautifully curved physique to be admired and to respect by onlookers on her. The indescribable intrinsic and extrinsic qualities of woman make the most distinctive being on earth. The value of a woman is priceless. “No ruby, no gold and the costliest gem can compare the goodness of a woman.” So, to dishonor a woman’s chastity is a great crime of humanity.
The world, including India is striving towards 17 global targets of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to be attained by the year 2030 with the equal participation of men and women by eliminating the barrier of gender inequality. The international communities felt that without women, the targets cannot be fulfilled. The government framed several legislative measures to safeguard and to protect the women of any caste or creed. Considering all these, it is not a time to consider women as inferior gender.
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Inspite of ample constitutional legal provisions and advocacy for women’s cause and justice is active and high unlike bygone days, the rate of crime against women is increasing day by day. The horrific viral video of sexual molestation of two women on 4th May, according to the news reports, has shocked the nation and the worldwide. The barbaric and highly detestable crime committed against two women at the onset of current conflict is highly regretted. The incident captured the global impression, an impression of low esteem to women’s morality.
The nature of crime committed has no enough definition of sanction listed under Indian Penal Code ( IPC) on crime against women as the molestation was too cruel of its kind. This is not an ordinary crime, rather a serious crime. For the complex society, the old criminal laws may not be matched with the nature of modern crime. They satiated themselves by inflicting them mentally, stripping and parading them naked.
There is no place for sadism in civilized society. Some individuals with coercion tried to obtain pleasure by inflicting the women who were helpless. The sadists may be personality traits failure or normal persons. Whatever type of person they must be, the act had done without remorse at all for their atrocity. The offenders should get the most stringent degree of punishment for multi reasons of that crime by imposing different sections of IPC. The situational urge was so strong that they committed such crimes on women. Perhaps, the desire to gloat over the victims was far stronger. Targeting women and children is an act of cowardice. The actual mode of war is a fight between two combatant groups. Crime committed against women during conflict is very, very inhuman. The importance of penologists is greatly felt in this crime.
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The victims bear pain, humiliation, and guilt pangs. There is a need to be changed in the society upon the victims of sexual abuse. The victims should not be considered as morally defiled individuals. Rather, it is the offenders, who defiled themselves by committing abominable crime of which is difficult to erase again.
The coming of Rekha Sharma, Chairperson, National Commission for Women, (NCW) Netta Antoinette D’Souza, President, All India Mahila Congress Committee (AIMCC) and Swati Maliwal, Chief of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) to Manipur is enough that the whole women community condemn this sexual assault in the strongest term. And, a condemnation call from Irom Sharmila, The Iron Lady, civil rights activist, and prominent women politicians and Bollywood fraternity poured out their condemnation from across the country. No women activists would be mute spectators of such crime. Their prompt reciprocation to this incident is clear indication that no women activists would keep mum. For, “No gem can compensate women’s chastity.” Of all, delivery of justice to the victims is the fervent need of the hour.
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The state women commission has a moral obligation as the incident happened to its two fateful members. It is good that the state commission shall give pressure to the legal authority until the end of legal procedure and befitting penalty is served to the offenders. The main functions of the state commission is to study inadequacies in laws, monitoring enforcement of laws, refuges for women victims etc. (this sentence is extracted from Sociology of Indian Society by C.N Shankar Rao pg.713)
It is enough that the current conflict of Manipur is haunting women and children communities because of killing and horrific sexual violence happened to non combatants or non confronting sections especially, women. The status of a society is assessed by the way how women are treated. The wrong application of patriarch attitude is not for civilized society. Let not the glory of Manipuri women throughout the world be mitigated by few individuals. The courage and bravery of women who fought against the mighty Britishers during the freedom movement created a remarkable history. And, the famous EMA MARKET economic activities which have been carrying out for many centuries is well known to the world. And, there are undisputed multi elite sports women of world class from our state, Manipur. Other than them, the internationally recognised girl child environmental activist, etc from our own soil have brought laurels for the nations. Taking one’s nation to such position used to invest years and years, and other resources to maximum level.
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The attitude towards women cannot be the same as yesterday. Let us deposit deeds of high virtue towards old and young women and girl children. “No nation can go higher without women.” This is a globally accepted notion.
Ch. Priscilla Thiumai is a social activist.
chpriscillathiumai123@gmail.com
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