There was an uproariously clear response on the day that the four men convicted for the rape and murder of a women had been sentenced to death by hanging. Crowds rallied in joy, considering themselves the winners of a terrible situation, hoping that the changes set in motion by the trial will have lasting effects. Unfortunately, prominent women’s rights advocates in India remain skeptical that the hanging will do anything to stop violence against women. The general consensus calls of celebration; people think the “evil” is localized, and thus it can be wiped out. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and for months women’s rights advocates have been wondering whether the death sentences would distract people from the fact that Indian girls and women are so vulnerable to sexual violence. It cannot be said that a public execution would do more than fulfill a collective need for revenge, so to speak. Ms. Nundy, the Supreme Court litigator, said that the real challenge lies in shaking up the criminal justice system: “Rape is not just something that is localized — you find these people, you wipe them out, you’re done,” she said. Little more is being done by police forces to stop the issue of rape, and women are still being blamed for the act and their cases being dropped. While the execution of these men is a success, there is still much to be done before there is absolute justice and protection for India’s women.
1) Is there any correct way of approaching this problem? Does that fact that these men are being sentenced to death violate their dignity? If so, in what ways does this add to the growing problem of violence in India?
2) How does the fact that women's claims are discredited affect the situation in India? Which of their rights are being violated?
3)What is your personal opinion on the issue? Do you think the awareness brought about by the execution of these men is enough to stop the violence?
I think that the awareness that the execution of these men brings about is significant but not enough to fully impact this massive issue in India. My personal opinion on this issue is that violence against women is a bigger problem than India realizes. As a country, the need to do more than simply respond to it situation by situation and rather unite and provide a firm stance as a whole. The Indian government needs to make it known that they are not tolerant of violence against woman rather than simply punish it. They currently have a culture of acceptance for it and its a taboo that has not been adequately addressed. India needs to for concrete and clears law regarding sexual harassment and violence towards woman in order to make any significant progress with the issue.
ReplyDeleteIt is evident that the mistreating of women in India is a complicated topic that is hard to deal with. The mistreating of women in India is a real problem. To think that women are still being blamed for men raping them just demonstrates how serious this issue is. Unfortunately, the death penalty is the most severe consequence and I do not think the execution of the men is a moral way to deal with this issue in India. However, since the mistreating of women in India is such a big issue, this punishment might make the people of India realize how significant this issue is. I believe that these men should receive a significant enough punishment, such as imprisonment, but not the death penalty because that would add to the violence issue in India. Women in India are not being treated equally, and as stated in the article, even the police does not take action. For this issue to diminish, the people in India should unite and put up a fight to end the mistreating of women. Of course, the the police should use their authority to try to end this issue instead of walking away from it. I do not think that the awareness brought about by the execution of the men is significant enough to stop the violence, but I do believe that India should come together as a whole and fight for women's rights.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this execution of the men that brutally raped and murdered an innocent woman is a major success in the fight for woman's rights, it does not fully remedy the issue at hand. As I said in my previous response to Laura's article, this massive issue cannot be addressed on a case by case basis. The government partnered with society must work and strive to create a culture of intolerance for these heinously violent act against woman. Laws alone will not solve the issue and a cultural change alone won't either. The two of these combined is the only true answer to a lasting solution.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that the men should have been convicted to life in prison instead of a death sentence, so that the men can spend the rest of their life thinking about the atrocity they committed that day. This event probably sent a shock to India's society about the sexual violence and sexism so prevalent within the nation, but this is far from enough to raise substantial awareness for gender equality in India. Because of the religious and cultural origins of India's misogyny, such a social shift is nearly impossible to occur in the near future. Unfortunately, the feminist movement is still far from achieving any widespread goals, although this case is a victory for the feminists of India.
ReplyDeleteI think that the being sentenced to death violated their rights. Who are we to judge whether someone deserves to live or not. Also, being hung was outlawed in America a long time ago and that presents another problem with India. They have not modernized at all. Countries in North America and Europe do not have the large scale violence that India has because they're views and perspectives are from the past. I honestly think that India is going in the right direction when they bring the execution to the attention of the world, but they need to view this in a bigger picture. The issues that face women are just as important as the issues men are facing and both need to go away and be brought up to the attention of the media and the citizens of India.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of rape and sexual harassment of women has been a prominent problem for decades with no resolution from the courts. Although this case is an important step forward in the women's rights movement in India; it hardly does justice to the problem at hand. India lacks the proper means or the even the willpower to enforce legitimate protection for women; women continue to be the underdogs in society with little hope for social mobility and even access of the most basic security. Though this case may serve to scare off potential rapists, it does not actually establish a means to prevent such as horrendous corm from occurring again. This brutal gang rape case has gotten lots of publicity, but there are still several rapes a day in the streets of India that remain unnoticed and untended. The first step towards improving women's rights in India lies in government enforcement of the laws for equality in the constitution.
ReplyDeleteThe exaltation the public has offered up in response to the punishment the perpetrators of the rape have received is, in itself, not likely to solve any problems. However, this incident is extremely encouraging in that shows that, at least at the local level, people of both genders understand the issues facing India and that they must be fixed. As a form of collective vindication, this act and protest shows the way people in India truly feel about the issue at hand. If this one demonstration can be expanded upon and recreated throughout India, there may be enough of an impetus to propel gradual cultural reform. Citizens of India are beginning to realize that the technological advancements they have developed over the course of the last ten years are far removed from the antiquated and outdated cultural practices that still define much of the country. This is an encouraging sign, and hopefully it will be the start of something positive.
ReplyDeleteIn my view, awareness brought about by the execution of these four men is not enough to stop violence. Although the execution of these four men serves as a message that gang rape will not be tolerated, it is not enough to fully eradicate the problem gang rape.the most effective way to prevent rape and other crimes in India is through the spread of education regarding the seriousness of gang rape. Society must ensure to teach others about the different culture portrayed in an urban setting. Many times, police officers come from areas where women are dependent and are viewed as vulnerable. When they see independent women in urban settings, the police lash out in violence out of confusion of what to do. This often leads to gang rape by policemen. Also, women must be taught to speak out against this issue rather than to keep quiet out of fear of being shunned. Gang rape is a serious issue and must be addressed immediately.
ReplyDeleteWhen the women's claims are discredited they lose in the court. Women are being called liars in India and the ones who are brave enough to report rape have to wait years to get into the court room and most of the time the decision is not in their favor. I don't support killing these men because I don't think it will change India I think full reform of the issue is necessary at the legal level so that India has the same type of laws as America and the police have to report them. Reform in India is needed to make people understand that women are equal to men. I think that awareness on the issue will help but the laws need to change so awareness that causes uproar over the issue will help change India.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the podcast is still fresh in my mind, but the only way I see fit to thoroughly better the current condition of women is through changing multiple aspects of Indian life--a little intimidating, I know. As Anand had mentioned in the podcast,a change in society is seen when all fields across the board have been altered. This change does not occur overnight but rather over a span of hundreds of years. A more tangible solution to bring about this change is through education. Educating the young will insinuate a different way of living with a different perspective on women.
ReplyDeleteWhen speaking of the men prosecuted, I do believe that their dignity of a person is being violated. However the outcry for such a publicized case is so strong, doing otherwise would permit men to continue to rape women. I guess this is what makes this case a little more tricky. But, by violating the rights of the men, we are allowing a culture of violence to persist.
As MLKJ once said, "darkness cannot drove out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." The idea that the only way to establish justice is the execution of a few people is a misconception and will not lead to justice. What will, however, is an understanding about why this is wrong. The problem in India is so great that just normal people are committing these awful crimes; it is becoming normal. The best way to approach the problem is proper education about the issues. I'm afraid that we in the United States are getting more awareness about the issues in India than those living in India who truly need it. Having the death penalty denies the dignity people being hung because despite their horrendous actions, they are still human and deserve to be treated with respect. When a woman's claims are discredited, it cements the idea that women are inferior and their opinions and thoughts are not of value. This further puts the power in the hand of the men, contributing to this vicious cycle. The right to speak one's mind is being denied. Once again, simply executing these men is hardly a step in the right direction. The only way rape culture can stop is if there is a common understanding of equality and true justice throughout India (and the rest of the world) today.
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ReplyDeleteI think that in order for justice to truly to brought to all the affected women in India, there need to be more than a few convictions here and there. Although I am glad justice and maybe even peace were brought to this woman, I don't think this punishment will have a lasting impact on this huge societal epidemic in India. It is such a huge broad problem all throughout India, and for change to truly come it must start with the people. The fact that the justice system of India is not implemented well and has a lacking reputation among the people of India is also not helpful to the resolution of this issue. As Nundy was trying to say, rape is very broad. It's not like one group of men in one localized place. It's spread throughout the country, and affects a huge percentage of women. The women of India live in fear, and the deep rooted nature of this issue calls for seriously reformations, beyond simply convicting 4 men to bring temporary alleviation to the enraged and frightened people of India.
1) Is there any correct way of approaching this problem? Does that fact that these men are being sentenced to death violate their dignity? If so, in what ways does this add to the growing problem of violence in India?
ReplyDeleteThe issue with this case is that it is not uncommon in India. Because rape cases are so common in India, it takes a great deal of momentum to move the nation to take a stance against the rapists. It is a structural issue if the death penalty is required to show the wrongness of such a crime. Technically, the death penalty violates the life and dignity of the men, but unfortunately, the message will not be properly transmitted amongst the commonality of this crime. If the only solution to such a problem is the death penalty, then where will the learning process take place. Instead of actually ending rape, this is simply decreasing the amount of rape cases that people will hear about. Rapists will become much more secretive and cunning with their malicious plans because they are simply avoiding punishment. Without the right reasons to back moral decisions, India will simply become even more corrupt.
ReplyDeleteSentencing these men to death for the rape and murder of the woman will not result in an immediate solution to India's rape problem. Merely, the result is just more death. Countless others have gotten away with similar actions so, other would be perpetrators have no reason to be afraid. In order to truly solve the issue of rape in India, government institutions must make it clear that they do not tolerate violence against women and will educate people why it is wrong for more Than the simple reason that it is violent. Rather, deeper meanings up such as subjugation of dignity and respect should be touched upon and implemented one education to push the next generation of Indians to realize that Equality will lead to a stronger India. Furthermore, if women are not believed in their claims of rape, deeper issues are also revealed. Strongly rooted traditional beliefs that subjugate woman must be overcome in conjunction with laws in order to provide a safer and more equal India.
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ReplyDeleteI think the awareness brought about by the execution of these men is not significant enough to stop the violence against women. While the execution brought some attention to the issue of rape and violence against women, attention is not enough to solve the problem. I think the problem of rape and the mistreatment of women stem from deeply instilled cultural beliefs, such as the belief that men are superior to women. In order for the violence against women to stop, these cultural believes must first be changed, and women must be seen and treated as equals by everyone in India. In addition, the government needs to enforce more laws and fix the corrupt police and judicial system. Another aspect that needs to be considered when solving and stopping the violence against women is education. Women in India should be educated as well as empowered, so that they are able to stand up for themselves
ReplyDeleteI do believe that these men should have been put on the death penalty, and although this has helped to bring some awareness to this problem, a death penalty will never be enough awareness to help to change a nation that is based upon its traditional culture. In order for women to finally gain the dignity and respect that they deserve from men, more changes need to be enforced. Sexual violence needs to be stopped and can only do so if the police and other law enforcing groups rise away from its corruption. They are not enforcing the laws and India is continuing to reinforce beliefs of inequality. Women (or anyone)should be able to report rape and abuse cases without any fear. One or two death penalities happens too rarelyfocr any change to actually occur.
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ReplyDeleteThe death sentence of these men shows that the government is taking steps to punish sexual violence, but it does not mean that they are taking steps to prevent it. The first action towards social action is awareness, and it is a good thing that people are becoming aware of the fact that discrimination of women is a grave social concern that needs to be resolved. I don't think that these men's rights are affected and in the case that the government doesn't give these criminals a death sentence, the public will revolt. This death sentence will also make others fearful of doing such a horrendous crime and bring more support for women's rights. In this case, the physical security rights of the women are affected as they no longer feel safe walking the streets of India alone. In order to resolve this issue, the social attitudes of Indians must change, as they should view women not as inferior to men, but rather as an equal being. The death sentence is definitely not a solution to the issue of violence against women but it definitely a starting point that will eventually lead to a society that respects women if the right steps to change the social structure are implemented.
Great post, Laura. I agree with you that rape and women's issues in general is not a problem that can be localized and easily extinguished; it is deeply ingrained in Indian society and thus takes time and energy to uproot. Yes, the execution of these men brings awareness to the issue and serves as a bit of deterrence to others, but it doesn't have much of an effect in the grand scheme of things. An execution is not a work of justice (no long-term benefit) and it's hard to call such a violent act a work of charity either. Really, I think it's only what you said - an act of revenge. Like we have discussed in class, I think the only effective solution to the widespread violation of women's dignity in India is education. It's a longer process, but women will learn their strength and not be ashamed to report harassment and over time men will learn to respect the rights of women.
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