How much longer?

There is enormous grief across the country at the death of the young woman from Delhi. The political class has been swift to promise that death penalty will be imposed in serious crimes for sexual assault also. There are also many protestors who have asked for the rapists to be hanged. The courts will decide the quantum of punishment for the accused. But if we take one step back and think, will this really solve the issue? Has death penalty for murder eradicated murders? 

There have been many things pointed out in the course of the last few days which need to be kept in mind.

1. At the basic level we need to learn to respect women more. In today's world teaching people to treat other women as their mothers and sisters is well nigh impossible. However can't we at least follow the principle of "look but don't touch"?

2. Our films should emphasise less on sexuality. It is very difficult to find a Telugu film of late which does not have at least one item number. Even if there is no direct item number the dresses the heroines wear, and the language and innuendo used leave little room for doubt as to what is being talked about. Unfortunately our movies seem to have a lot of importance in our lives. 

3. Parents should inculcate some values in the first school - the home. There are some TV shows today where proud parents send their children to dance to some quite vulgar songs. There are undoubtedly many parents who take delight in their children singing and dancing to vulgar numbers.

4. Our society stigmatizes rape victims. Imagine what the actual number would be if all rapes in our country were reported. In many cases the incident is simply not reported keeping the family's honour and future in mind. There was a recent case where a girl was raped by a relative and his friend. Only the rape by the friend was reported. Even in the Delhi case we still do not know the actual name of the girl. Parents should have the determination and guts to take action against the rapists.

5. The system should support parents in this regard. Though it would be a dark day indicating the nadir of our "civilization" setting up fast track courts for rape is a step in the right direction. Our legal system largely pays lip service to the maxim that justice delayed is justice denied. How many times can a rape victim visit courts and recount the horrific incident perpetrated against her? 

6. Even before talking about courts the police system should also be mentioned. There have been recent reports of a rape victim being raped by the police she had gone to. What is this country coming to? There was another incident in Punjab recently where a girl committed suicide after the police refused to register a case. Strict action should be taken against such policemen.

In my opinion more than death the right punishment for rapists would be to chemically castrate them. Rape is an act where (more often than not) a man shows his power over a woman. It is an act where he might wish to show his might or superiority over the woman, where he seeks to put down what he sees as her pride or impudence, where he wises to subjugate her and "put her in her place". Thus it is an assertion of power and masculinity. What punishment would be more effective than removing this very power and letting him live the rest of his life like that? How long will it be before we see a rape-free India?

Edit: I am happy I am not the only one thinking along these lines. Check this and this.