Oh Nirbhaya..We haven't moved a bit.

There are still stories around, candle marches, twitter salutes, facebook sharings, TV debates, and headlines like always, raising a voice for the pain a rape victim go through. One year has been passed since a crime of such heinous nature was committed with such brutality that it dragged out every one’s heart. One year has been passed today and we are still spreading the news of agony and trauma rape victims had always went through and still going through. One year has been passed and we are still crying for police reforms, new laws or judicial reforms. One year has been passed and we are still haphazardly hearing announcements such as Nirbhaya fund, women bank, workplace safety, night shift safety and broadening the definition of rape. One year has been passed and we are still talking about women safety hypothetically.

All can feel that a part of their being human is brutally murdered whenever a rape happens in the society. All have their eyes moist when they read about another daughter, sister, friend or mother being raped somewhere. But we are yet to witness intelligent minds going beyond the routine outcry of safety for women and advocating for a holistic approach to deal with this tragedy of modern day’s humanity.

First we need to actually realize that how grave this pest had gone down the veins of our society framework. A stat shows that around 240 rapes reported in Mumbai alone in first eight months of this year taking the average of one rape a day and that too the reported one. 3-5 rape news can be easily read about in every regional newspaper every day. As per data around 24000 cases were reported last year that comes to 65 rape cases a day and one rape every 22 minutes. And please keep in mind that these are only reported number where a news had been succeeded to come out or an FIR had been registered. As per another stats more that 50 % of total rapes happens at home by a closed relative and that too leaving aside assaults and rapes girls face while growing up in the locality. If one will ask a girl about being assaulted in childhood from known one, we will come to know the horrible face of our own self.

If something has gone that wrong, we can’t escape our responsibility of being culprits too being part of that society. If we are unaware of what our loved ones could have gone through as well is just like keeping our eyes closed to a grave tragedy.

What are we fighting for to deal with it? Safety? Is it possible to provide security to all females in the country of such large population? If they aren’t safe even at homes, will we keep a security personnel in every home? Security could be provided up to certain extant and that should be provided at any cost without any delay. More PCR vans and more policemen doing honest duties in night (obviously need to be motivated to do so as well) is surely a necessity of the time. But that too is an immediate action among many that must be taken to eradicate the disease from roots. We can also keep following the thought of Male mentality only the root-cause and let that disease harm mankind or understand that there are equal males if not more than females fighting that evil and they too share a same distress. We need to rise above typical mindset of male vs female and pinpointing the lifestyle or mentality of one and dig deep into different directions and possible ways where we can start the cure.

We need to deeply analyze psycho-socio-behavioral aspects of those who have been found guilty in the crime.  We also need to analyze vulnerability of victims in those cases. We need to see what had made those culprits go beyond their conscience to commit such crime. We have to see if the victim was a planned target or a vulnerable random prey. We need to see if that sexual desire to be satisfied was momentarily or a longer state of mind. We need to see what had lead to that uncontrollable urge or what other factors society, education, upbringing, behavioral, occupational par se had contributed in it. A detailed study of biological male behavior to environment around is too need to be conducted. As per research sexual arousal in the males is far more than being in females and they can get aroused even with a sensuous talk or sight of a female. On one side we need to look for the factors inner or outer which had made their arousal beyond the level of conscience and made them commit that crime. And on the other we also need to see what factors contribute in high conscience, will power and wisdom that control our actions to go beyond what harm the society as whole. Ironically, it is evident that sources which make us stronger in our will and conviction, which make our character stronger, which had held our conscience level high are slowly depleting from our society. And sources otherway around are ever increasing.

In extreme words, if walking naked on the road doesn’t give anyone a right to assault, feeling most comfortable without clothes doesn’t mean getting a right to walk naked on the roads. We have to raise our bar of thought process and look for positive and negatives within a larger range. We have to strike the odd from both ends. We can not escape from the reality by mere asking for security for females and terming the culprits insane for their crime. Whenever there is a dead end, we should start from basics.

We first need to protect our future youngsters. Things taught at childhood stays longer in mind. Children all across the sects need to be protected and developed with moral principles. Roots of our morality and principles need to be inculcated with the help of cultural, religious and traditional values. Cultural organizations, religious organizations, non-profit organizations and all the societies playing their part in social causes must come forward to inculcate these values in males since childhood. Books such as Panchtantra, of teachers and disciples, bedtime stories has been replaced by TV & internet where there is no watchdog. Role of parents to teach their sons how to respect woman as well as keeping an eye about what their child is learning has become extreme important. School level education which plays a far greater role in character building must be designed to develop them the way we wish to see our future and right to education must be implemented in such a way that no child in India could escape from schooling. Once character building is done at tender age an environment has to be created to further keep them busy in society with the help of employment opportunities and talent recognition while they grow into youngsters and then a man. This way only we could build a nation of real men. Only this could lead to growth story of our nation as well.

Talking about other end from where we need to strike, we first need to stop linking everything with a dent on our freedom or modernity and raise our bar of thoughts for the greater good of society. When a college or university issues a dress code for girls we start questioning without even knowing what kind of dress code has been ordered. Whether it deals with revealing clothes or advocate for descent clothes as like in majority of cases. Whereas, we never utter a word for the dress code of skirts in our schools which can easily be substituted with suits or trousers for the girls as per their comfort. Discomfort, embarrassment or shiver in the winters of north india, a lot of girls may have felt in skirts but it never become an issue because binocular in front of our eyes sees only in one direction. Where girls should always be careful while going somewhere alone with someone or in an isolated place or travelling in night that they are not exposing themselves to any kind of risk and they are never far from a phone call to a help, they should also be careful that in any way they are not indulging in something which may act as an arousal for a weak conscience person and some other weaker vulnerable girl fell to be a prey.

With two such forces in play, we need to create a fear of getting caught and executed too. And for that, filing of report must be easiest, investigation of genuineness of the report must be stronger and deeper and conviction and execution of the punishment must be within three months.

Discussion could be a lot more, but it must lead to ways to eradicate such a blot on mankind rather than just fulfilling a responsibility by keep telling the stories of horror. By thinking more and trying to analyze the root cause I have played my part. I may be wrong in a thing or two but at least it will lead to further thinking by more brains which in turn could lead to a complete eradication of Rapes from our society. I hope for that day to come soon.