I have a story to share – about something that happened today – with me – a member of the ‘india women’ community.
It was a couple of months ago when I gathered the courage to try on Uber Pool and Ola Share because I was always apprehensive about who the other people in the cab might be. So anyway, cut to today – I was in my Uber Pool on my way back from work. The second passenger in the cab was also a female who had her drop off before me. I noticed the cab following the route shown on the map which happened to be along the outskirts of the city.
Within seconds, I realised that without giving it another thought, I had shared my trip status with my mom and friend. (Here’s how you do it by the way – Sharing Trip Status on Uber)
It wasn’t a planned action. There was nothing wrong with the other passenger – she was just another girl, probably on her way back home from work too (I don’t know; we didn’t talk.) The driver on the other hand – very sweet, very polite, minding his own business (I did end up giving him a 5-star rating.) But this seemingly ‘just another moment’ got me wondering – WHY?
Because ‘india women’
When you Google the words ‘india women’ today (December 3, 2019, 2243 hours) this is what shows up. Right at the top!
And when you click on ‘More for india women,’ you get this –
The first results on Google about two words that I most certainly do associate with myself for being a ‘woman’ from ‘India’ present a reality that puts me to shame.
Not-so-fun-fact: By November 15th of this very year, the Delhi Police had reportedly registered 1947 rape cases, 2616 molestation cases, and 3104 kidnapping cases for women!
Source: India Today
‘Rape Culture’
A 26-year-old veterinarian was brutally raped and murdered in Hyderabad by men who offered to ‘help’ her with her vehicle’s flat tyre. 26-year-old. Veterinarian. I don’t want to get into the details of this incident because we all already know about it and are either raging with anger or just speechless at the thought of where humanity is heading.
I went on to the official website of Times of India and ran a search for the term ‘rape’ in news, here are only some of the pieces I found –
50-year-old woman gang-raped, killed in Andhra Pradesh
Age: 50
Man arrested for raping 70-yr-old woman in UP
Age: 70
UP: Four arrested for gang-raping Dalit girl in Kasganj
Age: 17
Girl raped, shot dead & burnt in Bihar’s Buxar
Age: Yet to be ascertained
Man held for raping Class XI girl in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar
Age: Minor (Estimated to be between 15-17)
Four-year-old’s rape: Man to spend life in prison
Age: 4
Dismissed constable held for gang rape of minor at Puri
Age: Minor
Madhya Pradesh: 4-year-old battered, raped & strangled in Mhow
Age: 4
Ahmedabad: Neighbour blackmails, rapes woman in Aslali
Age: 25
‘Sex maniac’ held in Azamgarh for rape, triple murder
Ages: 30 and 10 (Also killed her 35-year-old husband and 4-month-old son)
*Notice the dates on the articles? All for December 3, 2019.
Cannot skip this one (very important – he has cracked the code like many others) –
Rajasthan minister B D Kalla blames internet for rising rape cases
And then this very important piece for ‘india women’
Hyderabad police has 14 tips for women to stay safe. (YAY?)
One search for one word on one news site throws up so many results of cases as well as reports on how bizarre things are causing rape and then how women should protect themselves because apparently, some men can’t be tamed.
Where does this leave us?
Dear people who blame rape on a woman’s ‘modernized lifestyle’ and youth, on her ‘outspokenness’, western clothes, or being out late at night – where are you now? The above list includes cases of both, elderly AND young women, 4-year-old girls, teenaged girls, women raped in their own homes, and one even by a man in a profession to protect the citizens!
