Co-operation ensures safety

Published in the Herald on 26 Jan 2013 by Soter D’Souza -----Even before a month could elapse since the Delhi gang rape-murder that rocked the capital, Goa has been rattled by its own rape incident of a 7-year old schoolgirl during school hours, within the premises of a prominent school. These days, murmurs at every street corner centre around the deteriorating law and order in the State. Within a couple of days after the Vasco incident, came the horrific news about a 19-year-old girl who was stripped naked and her face smashed beyond recognition in broad daylight at Assagao. The police have so far failed to arrest the suspects in both incidents. After the shocking rape incident in Delhi, instead of the Goa government taking steps to prevent the occurrence of such a crime in the State, it seemed more concerned with clearing tourism projects, approving the Sunburn festival and protecting mining interests. The Government’s negligence has resulted in the mishandling of the rape victim by the management of the Vasco school. And, as is typical of the ever able and clean Government, the principal has now been made a scapegoat. Instead of admitting its own failure, the government has been shamelessly blaming the Opposition for instigating the public to protest. The emptiness in the claims of clean and able governance in Goa has been exposed by the rape of an innocent child besides other horrific crimes in the last six months. We may recall that this is not the first reported incident of a student being sexually assaulted in the toilet of a prominent city school. The victim, in an earlier case, a couple of years ago, was a high school boy from a prominent school in the heart of Goa’s capital city. Another girl is also believed to have been attacked in the toilet of the city’s higher secondary school but managed to scream and attract the attention of her male classmates who thrashed the assailant before letting him go. The rape of a student by her teacher outside school hours is also fresh in the minds of the people. The only difference then and now is that the epidemic of mass hysteria over rape that has menacingly spread from Delhi was missing. Therefore, there could have been several more incidents of rape/molestation in schools that may have not reached the police stations. The present reaction to rapes appear to be no different from the hypocritical responses during the time of mass farmer suicides in Maharashtra, which has been aptly described in P. Sainath’s book titled Everyone Loves a Good Drought. The Delhi rape case is being conveniently twisted and exploited to serve vested interests, while the actual problem remains unaddressed. From politicians to businessmen, there could only be hidden smiles and cheers at the prospects of an increased demand for products that will give a sense of false security to citizens. The increased demand for pepper sprays, blades, CCTV cameras, biometric machines, police patrol vehicles and the rest could only mean good news for markets. Even the debate on the rights of women to dress as they wish or party at any part of the night appears more to do with promoting the entertainment and fashion industry, rather than protecting the dignity of women. The over emphasis on installation of CCTV cameras and increase of security in public places and campuses seem to suggest that no one has problem with rape or molestation provided it is made easy for the investigating agencies to detect the perpetrators of the crime. Besides spitting venom at rapists and the government, there has been no visible effort to actually understand why sexual assault on women is on the rise, and how these crimes could be prevented. And, as civil society groups and politicians play ping-pong with accusations and demands being thrown around, there seems to be no respite in crimes against women. This nation needs to be reminded that Mahatma Gandhi had forewarned of such a crisis way back in 1909 if India embraced the western model of development. In Chapter XIII of his book Hind Swaraj, Gandhiji explains why our forefathers chose to ensure the maximum use of their hands and feet and did not invent machines, even though they had the capability to do so. He further wrote, “They (our forefathers) further reasoned that large cities were a snare and a useless encumbrance, and that people would not be happy in them, that there would be gangs of thieves and robbers, prostitution and vice flourishing in them and the poor men would be robbed by rich men.” With so much written about the violence that capitalism and materialism breeds, civil society seems to be behaving as if it is not aware of what is the root cause of its problems. Everyone seems eager to eat the cake and preserve it at the same time. It is more like saying that we will consume alcohol, but we do not want the intoxication which is a natural consequence. While everyone talks about their fundamental right to safety, is it not time to ask whether everyone also has a duty to ensure their safety? There is some sense in the argument that CCTVs and police patrolling alone will not be sufficient to stop such crimes. Citizens also need to collaborate with the authorities by being vigilant and exercising caution. The safety of citizens cannot be ensured without the issuing of government advisories or intrusion on our privacy, which we as a free society detest in the same breath. Not even the best security measures in the USA could prevent the attack on the World Trade Centre. A sign of good democracy and responsible citizenry is not about more police on the streets, but their absence. And this can only be made possible when civil society shoulders its share of the responsibility and is more proactive instead of sitting back and cursing the Government. We need to bear in mind that for a criminal mind no security systems are impenetrable. So society actually needs to reflect on what are the factors that produce such criminals and take necessary steps towards prevention. Probably the moment has come for this nation to even reflect upon its model of development that is being mindlessly pursued before it breeds more dacoits, rapists, naxalites and terrorists. A secure and peaceful society cannot be built on an economy of violence that deprives many for the pleasure of some. The increase in violence, particularly against women, could possibly be the manifestation of a larger violence that is being perpetrated in the name of development and modern lifestyles. http://www.heraldgoa.in/newscategory/Opinions/14