The issue of rape By Justice Katju

These days in India rape is the hot topic being discussed. It is being discussed in the media, which is always trying to find some 'mirch masala' ( sensational news ) for raising its TRP points or circulation, in symposia conducted by our brave 'intellectuals', in University and college campuses, in the Supreme Court, and of course by our great politicians who are always on the look out for some 'mudda' ( topic ) to rave and scream about, and score brownie points over their political opponents.

And why should President Draupadi Murmu be left behind and not join the fray of those whose hearts are bleeding for the victims ?

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/dismayed-and-horrified-president-murmu-on-kolkata-rape-murder-case-101724848906331.html

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/president-droupadi-murmu-on-kolkata-horror-dismayed-and-horrified-enough-is-enough-6436016

Enough is enough, said President Murmu, almost echoing the words of the Chief Justice of India, Chandrachud, who said that the nation cannot wait for another rape for things to change

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zCYTEgxqr4

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/cant-wait-for-another-rape-supreme-courts-strong-observation-on-kolkata-doctors-murder-101724141182611.html

Bravo President Murmu ! Bravo CJI Chandrachud ! Bravo our politicians and our media ! That's the way to go. With such steely resolutions and Winston Churchill type fiery and defiant speehes ( We will fight on the beaches, we will fight on the landing grounds, etc etc ) from all sections of society in India, rape should soon become obsolete, a thing of the past, like small pox, dodos, dinosaurs or other extinct creatures.

But there are several points which still trouble me :

(1) India is such a huge country with such a huge population of 1.4 billion people that one must ask : where are the resources for constituting such a huge police force to prevent such crimes ? How much funds will be required for this ? Does a poor country like India have such funds ? And knowing our police, will it not give them another handle to extort money from innocent people who are falsely accused ?

(2) Most rapes in India go unreported. This is because a woman/girl known to have been raped carries a social stigma. If unmarried, she may have difficulty in getting married. Also, if a trial is held, the judge may give a finding that the sexual act was consensual. What face can she then show to society ?.

(3) In Vishaka vs State of Rajasthan the Supreme Court framed guidelines to protect women in their workplace from sexual harrassment, and later this was replaced by a parliamentary enactment. However it is doubtful whether this had any effect, and indeed the recent rape-cum-murder of a lady doctor in Kolkata ( over which all the present hue and cry has arisen ) proves otherwise.

(4) Apart from the above, it must be mentioned that sex is a natural urge in young men.

It is sometimes said that after food, the next requirement is sex. In conservative Indian society most men get sex only through marriage. But no girl will marry an unemployed man. In view of the surge in unemployment in the country which has risen to record levels; many young men are being deprived of legal sex, hence they will seek sex illegally. I am not justifying rape, but only saying it is inevitable as long as there is high unemploymnt.

The population of undivided India before 1947 was about 42 crores. Today India alone has about 144 crore people, which means there has been an over fourfold increase in population. But the job increase has been far less than fourfold. In fact, it is believed that in June 2020 alone, 12 crore Indians lost their jobs.

12 million Indian youth are entering the job market every year, but only half a million jobs are created annually in the organised sector of our economy. If a single class 4 job is advertised by the government, there are usually thousands of applicants, some of them holding Ph.D, M.Sc, MBA or engineering degrees.

This being the job situation in India, will there not be an increase in rapes?

If we really want to end or reduce rapes we have to create a social and economic system in India in which there is no or little unemployment.

I do not say that married men do not commit rape, but the incidence would be far lower

5. Is rape the only issue facing India ? Are poverty, unemployment, child malnutrition ( every second Indian child is malnourished, according to Global Hunger Index ), lack of proper healthcare and good education, skyrocketing prices of essential commodities like food, fuel and medicines, no issues ?

To my mind they are more important issues than rape, but no one is talking about them, not the President of India, not the CJI, not the media, nor our so called 'intellectuals'.

This motivated me to write this article :

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/satyam-bruyat/alice-in-wonderland/