On August 31, a video from Rajasthan went viral on social media. In which a woman was being forcibly stripped naked by some people and beaten, and taken on the road. In the video, the woman is crying and pleading not to make the video. Media reports have revealed that the perpetrators of this heinous act were none other than the woman’s husband and his in-laws! Well, after the video came to light, the police were forced to register a case due to public pressure. This inhuman incident raises the question before every sincere citizen: What is the condition of women in our society? This is not an isolated incident; in May this year, women were stripped naked in Manipur and taken for a walk in the market. This phenomenon is continuously happening in our society.
It has been generally observed that there is a consensus in our society regarding the atrocities against women. Under the anti-women mentality, most people see the woman as the culprit. This includes not only men but also women, who believe that when a woman is raped or molested, there must be some mistake on the part of the woman. Even government surveys bear witness to this. During the National Family Health Survey, 45 percent of women and 44 percent of men aged between 15 and 49 have accepted that it is permissible for a husband to beat his wife. On the one hand, our conservative religious leaders are asking women to stay under the protection of their husbands. On the other hand, we see that one-third of the total crimes against women are committed by their husbands and their relatives.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, crimes against women have increased by 13 percent from 2017 to 2021. There has been a five percent increase in the crimes of ‘husbandly cruelty’ between 2017 and 2021. These figures testify to the condition of women in our society. With this, we should also remember that these figures are only of the recorded incidents; the actual number is much higher. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 1,36,234 incidents of cruelty against women by husbands or their relatives were recorded in 2021, which is more than 1,04,551 in 2017. This is almost one-third of the total crimes against women in 2021. The Indian state of West Bengal recorded the highest number of such crimes with 19,952. Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are at the second and third positions, respectively, in terms of total cases of crimes against women by husbands or their relatives. The specific crime category of ‘cruelty against women by husbands or their relatives’ has increased by 30%. Accordingly, its share in total crimes has also increased, from 33% in 2017 to 38% in 2021.
We can see from the facts that the majority of the perpetrators of mental and physical violence against women are their close relatives, husbands, uncles, aunts, cousins, in-laws or their sons. Women suffer in silence. Crimes are committed within the four walls of the house, which is considered the safest place for women, where there is no one except the husband and wife. Wolves in the form of relatives keep looking for opportunities, when they can touch the woman’s body, often indecent acts are committed in homes during programs, marriages, festivals, the biggest thing that is worth noting is that they sexually molest girls, 13-14 year old girls, as soon as they see an opportunity! These wolves, being well aware of the nature of the victim, when a girl or boy can be found alone, sexually exploit them with all this knowledge. Young girls who, due to their young age, have not even developed an understanding of right and wrong, when all this happens to them, fear and shock take root in their minds, which sometimes do not leave them for the rest of their lives. Will the family believe them? Is it a matter of kinship? Will there be a fuss? Due to being close relatives of their mother or father, these young girls, young girls, going through social pressure, are never able to mention the bad incident that happened to them!
Talking about the relationship between husband and wife, when a marriage takes place in our society, they promise in front of everyone that the man will maintain this relationship with the woman, respect, and loyalty, but this does not happen! In a male-dominated society, a man is considered to be a god, and it is the wife’s duty to fulfill his every need, from food and drink to physical pleasures. The husband considers his wife as property, which he has the right to. In India, the rights to go out of the house at will, make friends, work or not are relatively large! If there is a mistake in cooking, using her in relationships, or fulfilling the husband’s needs, scolding and slapping are common. Even women themselves consider all this right. The husband earns and brings money, runs the house, so he should be respected. If the wife refuses to have physical relations with her husband, then it is a disaster! Does the wife agree or not? Is her health good? Is she not suffering from any mental problems? She does not care! If the wife refuses, the husband often assumes that she does not have any other relationship! The wife’s lack of consent, the husband’s coercion, becomes rape, but in our society it is not a crime but considered a man’s right! The husband rapes his wife even to punish her! Which women endure until their death.