Comments on: Short skirts, bad stars and chow mein: why India’s women get raped

By: rheajj

rheajj — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 07:07:58 +0000

male’s wacky brain is the main reason behind rapes not our clothes

Earth to the “SHALLOW MINDED PEOPLE “(who think girls are responsible ) , 90% OF the cases, involved girls who were properly covered DUH people clear your facts out then utter such statements about us. What about the 5 yr old girl , who was raped brutally ?? was she wearing make up jewelry or revealing clothes??? Give your shallow mind a rest and GET A LIFE PEOPLE. We have the right to wear anything we want to. Who are you all to dictate us what and what not to wear. Those girls who wear shorts are rarely raped as compared to those girls who were properly covered. Get your facts and head right. Was the 6 yr old girl who lived in a slum raped because of her clothes? Could she afford shorts or revealing dresses?? Instead of blaming us blame those monsters who raped all those poor victims just because they wanted to get some PLEASURE out of it , it is not because of their mental state. Instead of encouraging us to join defense classes you want us to be caged in the four walls of our house? A cage of four walls is that our future

By: Luvvy

Luvvy — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:26:17 +0000

These comments are absolutely shocking. Respected women get raped all the time, by their husbands when they get forced into an ‘arranged’ marriage by their parents, with someone of the same caste and at a young age. They just can’t call it ‘rape’ because it’s what is expected of them. The male attitude has always been the same and men expect women to run the house, have their kids, and always be available for sex whenever they want it. Now that women have more rights, they blame rape on the women of the society?
A mobile phone is not to blame for having a boyfriend. It makes it more accessible, yes. But are two people not entitled to love? Do they not have the right to love? Most arranged marriages go bust. They only stay together because of the ‘children’ and what ‘other people will say’ and the ‘shame’ they will bring onto their families. Until this mentality is changed, nothing is going to progress.
By giving into the demands of a dowry, you are SELLING your daughters. Refuse dowry, and you will find the men that want your daughter and not just the items she comes with as well as the freedom to demand more for her safety. If she falls in love, it doesn’t disgrace you. Indian women, falling in love and making love are two different issues. Don’t give in because he ‘loooves’ you. If he will own up to your parents and get his parents to come forwards with a proposal, he most likely loves you. But even then, be careful.
I’m not denying that there are plenty of good men out there, and that some arranged marriages work out etc. But blaming the victim is not the right thing to do.
Dictionary.com states that a victim is a person or thing that suffers harm, death, etc, from another or from some adverse act, circumstance, etc:(eg) victims of tyranny.
Why would a woman want this thrown upon her just because she is a part of the modernizing world? Can a woman not trust that if she wears western clothes and is friends with the opposite gender, regardless of being in a relationship with him or not, she cannot be out at this time? She would’ve been out later had she not decided to leave work early with him. If this were in the EU or America, those men would not have dared to do anything. This shows that it is the laws, jurisdiction and government of the area as well as the example set in the area and the mindset of society that is the problem, and not the victims.
I will end my endless rant here.
P.s. I am an indian, with a pure punjabi boyfriend who is from India.. I am from the USA and the UK, but my boyfriend has been with me for 1year and 8 months without a sexual relationship, introduced his family to me while I have done the same for him (his family are also indian, while my grandparents on both sides and my mother are from india at some point in their early lives), and we talk about these issues all of the time. We plan to not get married for another 4 years but will move in with eachother at somepoint, which our families know about. If only people could realise that if someone really and truely loves you, they will wait for you, and that it is the mindset of men in India and their perception of women and the law in India that is the reason for rape in India, NOT that women are becoming westernised or do not call the rapists her brother while holding the rapists hand… Why am I doubting that it would work. :L

By: AaronCo

AaronCo — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 05:48:40 +0000

People talk about hanging the rapists and changing laws and such but the true fact of the battle is people need to change. Women get raped in India because

Many parents in India raise boys differently compared to girls. There are given extra attention, extra love, even extra food at times, all at the expense of the young girl. They grow up feeling entitled, that they are better than women and women are just mere objects. Even when the parents die they give their land and possessions all to the son, while the girls are married off and in the “possesion” of their new husband’s. So this comes to me as no surprise. This upbringing has led to many men in india being chauvinistic and misogynisitic. I bet if you ask parents who attended the Delhi rape protest a huge chunk of them will admit to “son worshipping” (Now I know I shouldn’t generalize all Indian men are bad and that we have hugely diverse country with 32 official languages and whatever 56 religions and all the jazz) but this patriarchy exists in many parts of India. I find it hard to defend India anymore and even harder to call this an isolated incident even though there are hundreds of millions of good men in India.

Another thing is that laws don’t do anything in India. So that really would not cause a shift. The IMPLEMENTATION of laws of any kind by police officers or authority in India is poor. A bribe and you are free. Also, many ten of thousands of cases are not reported because it would take decades to go through the courts.

By: EEDR

EEDR — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:38:52 +0000

..oh and punish female infanticide! It is murder.

By: EEDR

EEDR — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:37:58 +0000

11 steps to move India forward:
1. Withhold all international aid to Indian men until women occupy half of all positions of power such as police officers, judges, prosecutors, legislators, etc…
2. Outlaw the caste system which officially enshrines and even glorifies prejudice, hatred, and the heinous abuse of others based on heritage.
3. An eye for an eye. Do enough men exactly as they are doing these women and the message will be sent and received. Men should fear abusing women, gang raping and torturing them. As of today, they do not because nothing proportional ever happens. If a “man” (an I use the term loosely) sticks a metal pipe so far into a women’s rectum multiple times so that her intestines are shredded and hanging out, do the same to him. If he throws acid on the face of a women, throw acid in his face. If he burns a woman to death, let him know the same fate. Make it a iron-clad guarantee! Televise it along with the message that he is getting what he gave and any other man doing the same will get the same. I know this suggestion will be especially controversial, but some people only understand consequences because they are sociopaths.
4. Since men who gang rape and otherwise abuse women nearly always go free— especially men of money and high caste— start and generously endow a charity that provides financial incentives to those brave enough to ensures the guilty’s eye-for-an-eye treatment.
5. Stop teaching men and boys that they are everything and the world needs to revolve around them. Patriarchy is the disease that causes the symptoms. Patriarchy is perpetuated by religious institutions, parents, educators, employers, legislators, etc… India needs a massive education campaign to change hearts and minds + fear of consequences.
6. Punish smaller crimes like street harassment of women and sexual harassment at work and in schools. Why let it escalate to a full blown gang rape / killing with a metal pole?
7. Integrate schools and workplaces and places of worship. Separate is inherently unequal as we have found with blacks / whites in the American South. Some things are plain wrong.
8. Stop arranged and forced and child marriages.
9. Stop burning women alive when their husbands die or encouraging them to “voluntarily” jump into the funeral pyre.
10. Stop the practice of women leaving their families of origin to go live with their husband’s family. This is why woman are not seen as valuable to their families of origin. They will just leave at a very young age anyway and not contribute materially.
11. Equal pay for equal work between the sexes and castes (which shall be abolished.)

By: slnsimhan

slnsimhan — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 05:29:54 +0000

All the comments seen are senseless, addressing with a band-aid to to cure a deep rooted problem including opposition by men to respect womanhood. It is shocking to see religious leaders dis-respecting women claiming to be pure while detached from society.From ancient Vedic periods, Hindu religion had considered women to be the most respected next to God; there are several Hindu goddesses involved in religious stories (Kali,Lakshmi, Parvathi),that commanded respect thereby the glorifying role of women among the people.Indian movies selling shapely and sexy bodies of ladies have been popular among men and Indians in general, especially a number of politicians who have contributed immensely to the lusty stories/direction and music all like to watch. That does not mean one has the excuse to handle other women assuming their orientation which is the girl or boy’s business in a democratic society. India has traditionally and prdominantly used a segregated school system for boys and girls. It was this type of mind set that can lead to a mentality that a boy sitting next to a girl may (or according to some commenters in the article will tend to invariably?)think about raping her! Social justice should not be taken in the hands of those with feelings against trendy and unintended behavior assumed or observed such as modernistic dresses and social association. Why don’t the male chauvinistic commenters suggest banning Indian parliamentarians using their handhelds to watch porn in the parliament? Wow that should stimulate rapist- violence that is – impulses! Or is it OK because they are males? Many Indian movies have frequently depicted social reformist stories depicting rape by male politicians and some of them are true stories. With these negative comments from some of the respected fanatics, any number of reforms will go into thin air. I am positive constructive cultured and educated approach can be developed by the women and men of India.

By: KNaiem

KNaiem — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 18:48:56 +0000

This is a good time to hear the different voices and perspectives, to forge a constructive path that benefits society and protects the women and renders justice to the wronged

By: rlg61

rlg61 — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:41:54 +0000

looking at the articles and statements written above it is no wonder India’s women live in a state of terror.

By: StnFlwr

StnFlwr — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:40:56 +0000

Rape is not driven by the desire for sex. Rape is violent assault.

By: LemmingKiller

LemmingKiller — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:24:28 +0000

There are many very thoughtful and insightful comments I found here in this thread. If I may, allow me to create a hybrid comment from Robert MacMillan and GoodWinner that sums up the social and cultural issue that is at the root of all types of oppression towards women from all cultures but seems most obvious and shameless in the middle-east and India, “There is a low-grade fever of hostility toward women that comes from their absolute terror of the power women have over them.”