Tag: rape

“Eve teasing” in India, Part 1

Posted on by kathiemm

By guest author Darshini Shah

The seven mother goddesses flanked by Shiva-Virabhadra and Ganesha
The seven mother goddesses flanked by Shiva-Virabhadra and Ganesha. Image in public domain.

One central paradox in India is that while womanhood is elevated and symbolized in the forms of deity worship (namely Saraswati, Lakshmi, Parvati, Durga, and Kali) and political leadership (e.g., Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and current President of the Indian Congress Party Sonia Gandhi), many Indian women struggle with inequality related to issues of gender, culture, patriarchy, economics, religion, caste, and class (“Abused goddesses,” 2013; Kumar, 1997; Tilak, 2013).

This conundrum has engendered a struggle for gender equality and identity in the Indian milieu that has led to a rise in violence against women. While India is not alone in gender violence, particularly toward women, this pattern of violence against many Indian women permeates the public and private spheres. It is often overlooked, invisible, and silenced (Tilak, 2013) (Wolf, 2013).

One of the most common violent manifestations in India is labeled “eve teasing” (Mohanty, 2013). Eve teasing is a local euphemism meaning public sexual harassment, which can include lewd comments, stalking, harassment, assault, and even rape.

The “eve teasing” term is not accepted by many human rights groups, activists, and feminists, despite extensive use of the phrase by some media and the police. Even some Indian movies encourage, invoke, and appropriate mythological and folk images in teasing and harassing women (Pauwels, 2010).

The reason for rejection of this phrase is that it minimizes the serious nature of the behavior and dismisses sexual and gender violence. Moreover, a survey by the Indian Centre for Research on Women found that 1,000 male teenagers in Mumbai, India, perceived “the practice of eve teasing as harmless and inoffensive.” (Dawn, 2011)

 Darshini Shah is a researcher and yoga instructor who divides her time between India and the United States. 

References

“Abused Goddesses” shows shocking images of Hindu deities for campaign against domestic violence in India. (2013, June 9).  Huffington Post.

Kumar Jaya, G. S.  (1997). Victimization of women coping with violence.  International Journal of Sociology and the Family, 27 (1), pp. 139-155.

Mohanty R. I.  (2013, April 21).  The term ‘eve teasing’ must die.  Wall Street Journal.  Retrieved from http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2013/04/21/the-term-eve-teasing-must-die/

Pauwels, H.  (2010).  “The woman waylaid at the well” or panaghata-lila: an Indian folk theme appropriated in myth and movies.  Asian Ethnology, 67 (1), pp. 1-33.

Tilak, S.G. (2013, May 11).   Crimes against women increase in India.  Al Jazeera. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/12/2012122991735307545.html

Wolf, N.  (2013, January 3).  Ending India’s rape culture.  Al Jazeera.  Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/01/20131393027992335.html

Women rally against ‘eve teasing’ in South Asia. (2011, March 1).  Dawn. Retrieved from http://beta.dawn.com/news/609882/women-rally-against-eve-teasing-in-south-asia

Crimson soil: AFSPA

Posted on by kathiemm

[Part 3 in a series by guest author, San’aa Sultan]

India is viewed as the world’s largest democracy, a progressive nation, and a rising and powerful country. This success story, however, hides its human rights record.

Kashmir protest
Kashmir protest. Photo used with permission.

In the occupied territory of Kashmir, human rights are almost out of reach for the general population. Safety within one’s own home is not guaranteed, nor is the right to a dignified life.

In contrast, the perpetrators of the abuse are allowed to roam free under a draconian law known as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

The AFSPA allows the occupying forces the right to:

  • Shoot to kill
  • Arrest without warrant
  • Detain without time limitations.

The law also forbids the prosecution of soldiers without an approval from central government, which is rarely granted. This has allowed the army to develop systematic methods of violating the Kashmiri population which include torture and rape.

This widespread use of violence against a population of 12 million without any hope of justice not only abuses Kashmiris physically and mentally, but also acts as a source of psychological trauma.

The never ending cycle of perpetration and what subsequently amounts to justification of injustice is harming Kashmir. Women, men, and children who have suffered loss over many decades have not had their cries heard nor their pain eased. Instead, it has deepened.

Today I ask, why is it that their pain is veiled by silence? Why is it that the world does not call for an end to the use of such draconian laws that subdue our people? Are we not ultimately one and the same?

The AFPSA and similar laws around the world must be brought to an end if we wish for justice to prevail. Freedom from occupation will never truly come without the implementation of justice.

San’aa Sultan

Women in a culture of violence

Posted on by kathiemm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp1-ncU2ilY

The roots of the current U.S. culture of violence extend back to the unprecedented violence unleashed on this continent by European settlers in the 17th century. With the impunity that came with access to guns, belief in a God who favored them over others, and readily available justifications for violence, the settlers undertook a genocide of the native peoples.

The heavy hand of this culture of violence has always descended more heavily on some victims than others—not just on the native peoples but always on whoever the more recent immigrants are, on people of color, on non-Christians, and on women and children.

Consider the following facts about violence against women from the “National intimate partner and sexual violence survey (2011): data on abuse by intimate partner”:

  • 32.9% of women reported physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime
  • 24.3% of women reported severe physical violence in their lifetime
  • 4% reported physical violence from an intimate partner within the past year
  • 40.3% reported psychological aggression
  • 10.4% reported psychological aggression in the past year

Growing up in a culture of violence, with its constant images of and justifications for violence and inhumanity, affects everyone. Children growing up in such a culture and women surviving in such a culture may respond to their experiences in ways that prolong their misery and make it easy for the more privileged segments of society to abuse them further.

Consider these facts about women in prison:

  • Over 90% have experienced violence in their lives
  • 33% report childhood sexual abuse
  • More than 50% of the abused women report rape or attempted rape

Efforts to stop violence against women, which now extend worldwide, will be considered in later posts, but for now join us in this inspiring anthem from One Billion Rising.

Join your voice with proponents of an end to violence against women, which in turn would strengthen the resistance to violence against children and other living things.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

Ain’t they a pair: Bullying and violence against women

Posted on by kathiemm

Friday, November 23, 2012, was International Stand Up to Bullying Day, with activities in 25 countries.

November 25 was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a response of the world community to the assassination of three women in the Dominican Republic who dared to become politically active.

Numerous fact sheets provide chilling information about intimate violence, domestic assault, rape, and other atrocities against women by men who are bullies, men who use violence to prove they are “real men.”

Undeniably, being female is a risk factor for violence. So are being disabled, being gay or lesbian, or simply being a different color, religion or ethnicity than the dominant group in a society.

So is being male. Being male can put you at enormous risk of being sent off to wars or killed in myriad other ways by the small minority of people who wield power.

The major incidents of violence in the world are not so much men against women, Muslims against Jews, Jews against Muslims, Christians against non-Christians, or whites against blacks, as they are bullies against weaker opponents.

Bullies take lots of different forms. Disproportionate numbers can be found among the greedy elite who profit from wars and other forms of human misery. They can be found among the desperate and angry poor who cannot envision any alternatives to survival beyond using violence. They can be found in prisons and in the board offices of multinational corporations that sacrifice the well-being and lives of millions in order to increase their profits and their power.

Bullies can also be found among children who hurt pets, torment their siblings, and bully others with impunity. Let’s teach all of our children, as well as the adults in their communities, that bullying is not acceptable. Watch this video to see how bullying can be stopped at the grassroots–in this case by a couple of teenage boys.

Those boys started an anti-violence movement that has reached thousands. What else do you think can be done to stop violence?

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology