Be safe, be alert!

“Violence against women in all its forms is a human right violation. It is not something that any culture, religion or tradition propagates.”
~Michelle Bachelet

Brutality in any form is violence. The status of women in India is not up to the mark yet. Although women are walking at an equal pace with men, in every field, they are still mistreated at the domestic as well as professional front. The male chauvinists still continue to crack the whip to ensure that their male ego is kept intact. With the increasing success rate of women, the number of cases relating to domestic violence or violence at the workplace is increasing too. It is the need of the hour to work in this direction and fight all odds and prevent this violence.

There are different forms of violence that go unnoticed and unpunished because they have been already sanctioned by the society, the religion and the culture. Some of the most common forms of crime include rape, child marriage and female genital cutting or mutilation. In case of rapes, the crime is generally not reported, neither by the victim nor by the bystanders/ observers. In the majority of the cases, the victim is killed by the family in the name of honour as if the case was that of adultery. In case of female genital mutilation (FGM), the girls who fall under the minor category, are inflicted with pain and trauma of cutting genital parts for no proper medical reasons. Yet again, this crime is not reported. In case of child marriage, the teenage girls are wedded off and they become pregnant at such an early age that the risk to encounter health and other problems, increases.

It is important to fight back and stand for the women and also protect their rights. Following are the ways in which Indian youth can possibly counter attack the violence against the women and protect their integrity.

· Calling the police whenever and wherever any crime is witnessed. The youth of today should not fear the consequences and instead overcome the state of being in a quandary.
· If any of your friend or a relative is in any form of abusive relationship, help her out. This help can be in the form of support or by reporting the incidence to her family or to the police (depending on the severity of the situation).
· Keep yourself updated about the anti-violence policies and the campaigns/ programs that can come in handy at the time of requirement.
· A child learns from what he sees and so it is important to teach your children to respect women. They should be taught to respect and treat others in a way that they would want others to treat them.
· Volunteer at an NGO or other domestic violence shelters that works to aid the women in need and helps the survivors to lead a calm and peaceful life.
· Be an active bystander and take the bull by the horns and report the crime as soon as possible.
· The most harmful source of spreading wrong ideas is the television. The youth should start protesting against the TV shows and the movies that depict women in subordinate or submissive roles. Also, the movies that glorify rape and other scenes showing sexual abuse, should be banned.
· Stop debasing feminism.
· Be bold and raise your voice against sexist jokes, sexism and sexist comments/ remarks.
· Cherry pick the opportunity of learning self-defence tricks. Martial arts is also a good option.

Violence can be in any form. Even if you are able to avoid it outside the house, you might become a victim inside the house. It is, therefore, better to keep yourself prepared and be cautious. Fearing and bowing to the wrong people is definitely not the solution.