Bini Dahal

While the world was busy celebrating the 16-day activism against gender-based violence, a young woman somewhere in Shamshabad area of Hyderabad in India was unknown about what was going to happen to her. In the night of November 27, 2019, Priyanka Reddy, a veterinary doctor, became a victim of a pre-planned rape which later turned nasty when she was brutally murdered by four drunken men.
That incident has not only questioned the safety of women around the globe but also contradicted the anti-rape advocating theme “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands against Rape”. Priyanka is just one out of hundreds and thousands of girls and women who have faced the same pain and distress. So, what are we lacking in and why? In its website, UN Women has described rape to be rooted in a complex set of patriarchal beliefs, power, and control that continue to create a social environment in which sexual violence is pervasive.
And this has been proven true in the context of backward regions like South Asia. So, in most of the South Asian families, curfew time is set for girls and women and they must return home within that time. But it is not the same for boys and men. There is no fixed time for a male to return home. You may ask why there is so much difference. It is because our society thinks in the same way. If a girl is born to such a family, rather than teaching her to fight against the patriarchal society, she is taught to fit into the mold of the social milieu that already has been created. Ultimately, she develops a personality very similar to what the society wants. And men are taught to develop a strong sense of ego and confidence from their childhood.
Be it the Nirbhaya case that happened in 2012 in India or the Nirmala Pant case of 2018 in Nepal, the sad aspect is that we have not learnt anything from them. With every passing year, the severity of rape cases is growing very strong. But nothing can be done without eradicating the patriarchal social belief. Empowerment of girls and women should begin from home, continue at school and end when they develop a strong sense of confidence and power. Rather than controlling her from doing everything she wants to do, why not to ensure her security?
When a girl is reported missing to the police station, for some hours police personnel speculate if the missing girl has eloped with someone. Why is there such kind of response? Being police personnel, it is their responsibility to immediately search for the missing person, whatever be the condition, rather than making such speculations.
So, who knows, a life may be saved and the perpetrator may be brought to justice in time. The more the police personnel intensify their investigations, there will be more complications. And the dictum ‘justice delayed is justice denied’ will become true. We don’t want to hear about another Nirmala or another Priyanka or another Nirbhaya suffering. We want all girls and women to be capable of materialising their dreams and living a happier and more secure life.