India's Daughter : My Take on the Outrage

Image from NDTV

4th March, 2015: There is huge outrage on the airing of the documentary called India’s Daughter. We have not seen it, and without seeing it, we are ready to condemn the release of the documentary. My personal take:

1. If we truly want to address the issue of rape, abuse of women, & gender inequality in India, than we need to understand where the perpetrators of these crimes come from, what are they thinking, what is the context and drivers of their behavior.  We will then be better equipped to address these issues. Is a documentary the best way to do this?  I don’t know.  But it is better than doing nothing, changing nothing since Dec 2012.
2. I wonder why people are more disgusted with the interview of the convicts, than with the open, strident, call-to-violence-against-women of the defence lawyers. Upholders of the law, the defence lawyers themselves, have openly made statements that are in violation of our constitution (gender bias and inequality) and our laws (burning alive a daughter - murder). And there is nothing that our government or law enforcement agencies are doing to punish them.
3. The documentary shows the common views about women.  Let all those who see themselves sharing the views of the convicts and defence lawyers, know that they are themselves rapists and criminals.
4. We have to bring attitudes of people – men and women - out in the open.  If seeing the documentary, opens a few minds, disgusts someone enough to teach respect for women, scares someone enough to prevent a crime against a woman, helps people speak out against atrocity and oppression, then it is worth it. This is the reality of the country I live in.  This is the reality we face every day.
5. I love my country.  And loving my country does not mean that I cannot confront the reality of living in India.  I don’t care if other countries have more rape cases than mine.  I do not care if in other countries there is more violence against women than in mine.  If cases like this need to be brought to the forefront, then so be it. I want my country to be one where I can truly live free as a woman, because I love my country.  

   

   Image from NDTV

6. Should we not respect the wishes of Nirbhaya’s parents, themselves, who have pretty much endorsed the documentary?  Would it not be shameful if we let our anger, disgust, and hurt become bigger than that felt and lived, every minute of every day, by Nirbhaya’s parents? So should we not respect what they want, and let the documentary air?
7. So I ask

·    direct your hurt and anger towards the lack of progress on making India safer for women

·    direct your outrage at the lack of convictions and punishments of rapists

·    direct your voice towards demanding for better laws and implementation of laws

·    direct the power of your vote to demand of your MPs and MLAs that they push forward bills in parliament