Rape is a term that is often used frivolously by people, without understanding the weight that the word carries with it. People in India believe that rape happens for a variety of reasons, reasons like short clothes, going out late at night, drinking with friends at a bar or going to isolated places.

These notions are so deeply embedded in the Indian mindset that years of de-conditioning will also not make a difference. These ideas completely negate the fact that women who wear hijabs, Indian wear, jeans also get raped. Two, three, four year olds, married women, children are all molested by people very much within the precincts of the familial structure.

The sheer disgust surrounding these notions has been highlighted in a recent incident where a well educated woman in her late 40s or 50s told a girl “to not wear short clothes” and “she would get raped”.

Here’s what happened:

The incident

Watch the video here:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/Bw3ybWsAEn4/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=c8kuvmwgtxfx

A group of girls had gone out to eat at a restaurant (presumably Nukkadwala in Delhi). These girls were hanging out and minding their own business, until a middle aged woman decided to dig her nose into their business.

One of the girls was wearing a dress and the woman decided it was her ‘moral duty’ to tell her that her dress was ‘inappropriate’. She then said that she should be ashamed of her clothes. When her friends came to support her, she said that girls like them deserved to get raped.

The discussion escalated and the woman and girls were now inside what looked like a home store. There, the woman looked at the male staff and said that ‘if they saw girls like these, they should rape them’.

This outraged the group of girls who in as many words, massacred the middle aged woman’s argument. They recorded her disgustingly regressive ideas of patriarchy and posted it on various social media platforms.

The irony

Subsequently, another woman, a mother of two girls further blasted this lady. She said that she had no right to tell girls how they should dress and demanded an immediate apology. The middle aged lady refused to budge and concluded by saying that women in short clothes deserved to get raped or rather invite rape.


Also Read: FlippED: If One Claims To Be Mentally Ill, Should They Be Pardoned For Heinous Rape And Murder Charges?


Women empowering women? Is it?

It’s beyond appalling how women bring down each other in this country. The ideas of gender, equality and emancipation are completely alien to some women, let alone men.

As women, we face emotional, physical, social and mental struggles everyday. A fragmented female fabric will only worsen the situation and make the fight for equality even more difficult.

It’s beyond me how women can bring down fellow women like this. A fundamental understanding of rape and why it happens has to be addressed.

It needs to be told that rape DOES NOT happen because of someone’s clothes, lifestyle or choices, it happens because of the rapist.


Sources: Instagram

Image Source: Instagram

Find the blogger at @janhaviiisharma


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