Another gangrape in Delhi presents another occasion to citizens to vent their anger and frustration. What needs to be looked at are the concrete steps which need to be taken to make Delhi a safe place for women. Women's rights crusader Ranjana Kumari shared her perspective on this subject with IBNLive readers in a live chat.
Q. What steps have you taken or intend to take to make our girls safe, Can you use your position to bring some tough law or do you want to retain your position as ornamental? Asked by: Satish Kumar
A. We need to set up a justice delivery system which will help women access justice through a fast track system. We have thousands of rape cases pending in different courts of the country. As a result, there is no fear of law.
Q. Hi Ranjana Ji, don't you think that as the safety situation is at the lowest for women in Delhi and NCR. Atleast till the situation improves people should be extremely cautious in moving alone or as a couple in night and should also avoid taking lift in unauthorised, deceptive private vehicles? Asked by: Chinoo - Class 12th student
A. The safety of women can be ensured by a very effective policing system, not only as post-response to the crime but also we need to set up a mechanism which is working on the preventative side of the crime, especially well trained in preventing crime against women, special police squad which should patrol the city around the clock. The city has been mapped by women's groups in the context of crime prone areas, we need to ensure that these areas are well lit and the destinations are well marked, and also the pockets of crime areas are well identified.
Q. Sexual offenders (even after completing their sentence) should be identified and must report to police stations weekly or monthly, so that they also suffer the embarrassment similar to the trauma that the victim goes through for the rest of her life. Asked by: Gautam
A. I agree with your suggestion, it is in all other crime that the police has a list of offenders available at the police station, they are well identified by the beat police constables and kept under constant vigil. Similar system has to be put in place in the case of sexual offenders.
Q. Why only Delhi is in focus? Women need to safer every where.. Why culprits have there face covered when police remand? There faces should be exposed and this should bring guilt not only to them but there whole family. Asked by: Amit
A. There has to be a well designed and carefully installed preventative system put in place in all major capitals. We have to learn from global capitals how metro policing is put in place to prevent all forms of crime against women. It is really a matter of great concern that Delhi has just one, under equipped forensic lab; there are less police personnel protecting citizens than VIPs, and less women in Delhi police than in any other Capital city of the world. Society has to collectively disapprove of such gruesome acts, and also work on more value based life.
Q. What is different about Delhi in comparison with other cities? Why is there a moral anarchy in the nation's capital? Gandhi envisioned freedom as when a woman can walk on the street in the middle of the night without any assistance. He must be wondering upstairs on why he had to sacrifice his life for such a pathetic and unworthy lot..Shameful.. Asked by: Karthik
A. I agree with you that we have put the soul of the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi, in agony. He always said that violence in families breeds violence in society, today we are experiencing all forms of crime and violence against women from home to street. There has been an 873% rise in crime from 1971 to 2011. We need to really think and reflect on what kind of future we are handing over to our next generation.
Q. Why only Delhi? I have stayed in 6 cities before but never felt so helpless? Is it that the cops don't value women? Is the politicians indirectly showing that anyone can do anything here and get away with it? Asked by: Mahesh
A. It is really unfortunate that the capital of our nation is continuously in the news for growing crime and rape cases. If policing is not effective, and there is no fear of the system, then there is no message of a zero tolerance policy against all forms of crime against women. Such incidents will continue to happen. Therefore, instead of footballing around the issue the chief minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit needs to take the responsibility and not blame her lack of direct control over the police. If every citizen is under the government's power, they deserve to be getting protection from the government. Delhi is a Capital region that connects with Haryana and UP, therefore it's easy for the criminals to walk in and walk out, and then the Police have no jurisdiction across borders.
Q. Delhi is becoming unsafe not only for women but for men also. Laws are not enforced. What should be done rather than self defense classes? Asked by: Akanksha Jain
A. Effective policing and proper enforcement of the law, besides families must create a feeling of value of women and respect for women within the home.
Q. Firstly, women should be allowed to be armed. Why is the law so lenient about rapist? Why cant be lay a good example by executing theses men and sending a message to all the perverts in the city or any other city? Asked by: mallika
A. I agree with you.
Q. Our CM says its failure of police and is yet to write to our Home Minister. This is all talking.. don't you think instead of a fast track court, we can just give them death penalty to create fear among such mindless people? Asked by: Akanksha Jain
A. It is not enough to speak politically correct language. Citizens of Delhi expect from Delhi's chief minister to deliver. She should work out proper arrangements with the central government, led by her own party to get control of the section of police which is responsible for metro policing.
Q. What has to change, according to you, in the way (too many) Indian boys are being brought up - ending up savages who abuse and rape women because "only prostitutes" are out after 8 pm. I refer to an ancient saying: "if you want to wake up a village, wake up the women first". Asked by: Silvia, foreigner in Delhi
A. We are living in a democratic nation, anyone has the right to be moving around at any time of day or night and working women especially often have no choice in moving around late. The change of values towards gender equality should be the norm within homes. The boys must know from these recent incidents that you cannot protect your girlfriend if the society does not learn to respect women.
Q. Could you urge some women MPs to bring a private bill to introduce castration punishment and imprisonment for the rapist? Asked by: raghunath patra
A. We have punishment stipulated in the law that is up to 10 years of imprisonment which can be extended to life in extreme cases.
Q. Do you think that on 16-12-2012 there was sufficient police arrangement in area (where rape happened) to protect ladies and prevent crime? Asked by: raghunath patra
A. I don't know if enough policing is the only way to tackle this problem. We need to work together as a society.
Q. You as a influential member, what has been your contribution till date, do you have the data base of all crimes against women all around the country and what corrective action have you taken so far? Asked by: dehiem
A. We had a protest demonstration today in front of the Vasant Vihar police station to ensure that all the offenders were arrested and brought to justice. We also hope that the parliament will pass the long awaited law on sexual assault in the current session of parliament. We are going to lobby hard for getting this law passed.
Q. We have not heard or read about any rapist being convicted like terrorist, isn't it time to change laws and ensure that we have similar laws to terrorism and same serious applications. Asked by: dehiem
A. What we need at the moment is quick dispensation of justice through a fast-track system so no rapist is spared from the hand of the law.
Comments
0 comment