CONDEMN the Forced Prostitution and Repeated Rape of Woman from Sikkim in the Capital City of India
A woman from Sikkim was forced into prostitution and raped multiple times after she was brought to Delhi in the pretext of getting her employment. Among the rapists was a Doctor from the premium hospital, AIIMS. Against all odds she ultimately managed to file a complaint at the Hauz Khas police station after which the perpetrators have been arrested. In all likelihood, justice will take a long time to come by if it at all does.
It comes as a surprise that a poster boy of “development”, like Sikkim, has failed to ensure that its women citizens have safer options of finding remunerative employment within the state.
Cases of human trafficking and forced prostitution such as this one and multitudes of those that go unreported are pointers to the gross neglect of the state towards inclusive growth and development. Until the fruits of growth are equally shared, the potential pool of socio-economically deprived citizens will provide easy hunting ground for human traffickers.
Only true participatory democracy will ensure that uneven distribution of power does not lead to uneven appropriations of benefits of growth. Alas! that is easier said than done in the throes of the present growth paradigm that has explicitly divorced itself from the very concept of justice and equity.
Although trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation differs from other incidents of rape, it is pertinent to evaluate the state’s response in the present times towards gender justice especially after the gruesome ‘Nirbhaya’ case. What is clearly visible is that the interventions of present leadership (like BJP, AAP) have been regressive in nature.
It has unleashed its army to enforce moral policing and promote a security centric solution to the issue of crime against women (like putting the entire city under the gaze of CCTVs). What they forget is that security centric approaches reflect the same protectionist patriarchal male chauvinist attitude that will perpetuate the age old unequal gender relations.
Definitely prisons are safe, but we don’t want our cities to be that.
The recent Prevention of Sexual Harassment in Work Place Act, 2013 is supposed to give justice in case of sexual harassment in the work place.
The highly biased and regressive provision in this act allows settlement of cases through conciliation (even before enquiry), requires fixed complaint period (within 3 months), and can transfer female complainants during period of enquiry. The remedial tools are worse and appalling than the problem itself. Contrary to what it is supposed to do, this act will only institutionalize unequal gender power relations.
Another important aspect of the prevailing patriarchal and unequal gender relations is that it is deeply seated in the power relations of class, caste and race which makes the state machinery and civil society become selectively attentive to various forms of injustices.
Violence experienced by those who are socio-economically disadvantaged and politically weak is not any less traumatic, yet the brutal rape of 105 Dalit women in Haryana( just in December 2012 to September 2013) went rather unreported and unnoticed (Source: http://www.indiaresists.com/after-damini-101-brutal-atroci…/).
A mentally challenged migrant woman from Nepal was subject to similar sexual violence in Haryana, like ‘Nirbhaya’, but how fiercely did the civil society react this time? Similarly, multiple racial attacks in Delhi after the Nido Tania case were handled with apathy and have been quickly forgotten. Racially motivated misbehavior by AAP leaders in Delhi towards women of African Origin in Delhi is another case of outright prejudice and misuse of power.
Even the popular student movement, Hokkolorab, which grabbed national attention, was silent in the case of another girl student from Sikkim who was sexually harassed for over a month in Santiniketan, which isn’t far away from Jadavpur University. Why even outrage tends to be selective? Under such hierarchical social relations, can gender justice for all ever prevail?
Can we expect the state machinery to deliver prompt and fair justice to the woman complainant from Sikkim who is also doubly disadvantaged by her race and economic background? Will Sikkim reflect upon the root causes of human trafficking for slavery in its state and put up an uncompromising fight to demand justice?
We salute the courage of the complainant for her attempt to break free from the shackles of those who betrayed her and pushed her to be violated for the rest of her life. We condemn, in the strongest possible words, all acts of human trafficking and forced sexual exploitation of women.
We demand speedy trail and prompt justice to be delivered. We demand the perpetrators to be brought to justice, through an impartial investigation and speedy trial in court.
Only the unity among an oppressed can break the chain of patriarchy!
Let us all join hands together and raise voices for gender justice.
Gorkha Students, JNU
A woman from Sikkim was forced into prostitution and raped multiple times after she was brought to Delhi in the pretext of getting her employment. Among the rapists was a Doctor from the premium hospital, AIIMS. Against all odds she ultimately managed to file a complaint at the Hauz Khas police station after which the perpetrators have been arrested. In all likelihood, justice will take a long time to come by if it at all does.
Cases of human trafficking and forced prostitution such as this one and multitudes of those that go unreported are pointers to the gross neglect of the state towards inclusive growth and development. Until the fruits of growth are equally shared, the potential pool of socio-economically deprived citizens will provide easy hunting ground for human traffickers.
Only true participatory democracy will ensure that uneven distribution of power does not lead to uneven appropriations of benefits of growth. Alas! that is easier said than done in the throes of the present growth paradigm that has explicitly divorced itself from the very concept of justice and equity.
Although trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation differs from other incidents of rape, it is pertinent to evaluate the state’s response in the present times towards gender justice especially after the gruesome ‘Nirbhaya’ case. What is clearly visible is that the interventions of present leadership (like BJP, AAP) have been regressive in nature.
It has unleashed its army to enforce moral policing and promote a security centric solution to the issue of crime against women (like putting the entire city under the gaze of CCTVs). What they forget is that security centric approaches reflect the same protectionist patriarchal male chauvinist attitude that will perpetuate the age old unequal gender relations.
Definitely prisons are safe, but we don’t want our cities to be that.
The recent Prevention of Sexual Harassment in Work Place Act, 2013 is supposed to give justice in case of sexual harassment in the work place.
The highly biased and regressive provision in this act allows settlement of cases through conciliation (even before enquiry), requires fixed complaint period (within 3 months), and can transfer female complainants during period of enquiry. The remedial tools are worse and appalling than the problem itself. Contrary to what it is supposed to do, this act will only institutionalize unequal gender power relations.
Another important aspect of the prevailing patriarchal and unequal gender relations is that it is deeply seated in the power relations of class, caste and race which makes the state machinery and civil society become selectively attentive to various forms of injustices.
Violence experienced by those who are socio-economically disadvantaged and politically weak is not any less traumatic, yet the brutal rape of 105 Dalit women in Haryana( just in December 2012 to September 2013) went rather unreported and unnoticed (Source: http://www.indiaresists.com/after-damini-101-brutal-atroci…/).
A mentally challenged migrant woman from Nepal was subject to similar sexual violence in Haryana, like ‘Nirbhaya’, but how fiercely did the civil society react this time? Similarly, multiple racial attacks in Delhi after the Nido Tania case were handled with apathy and have been quickly forgotten. Racially motivated misbehavior by AAP leaders in Delhi towards women of African Origin in Delhi is another case of outright prejudice and misuse of power.
Even the popular student movement, Hokkolorab, which grabbed national attention, was silent in the case of another girl student from Sikkim who was sexually harassed for over a month in Santiniketan, which isn’t far away from Jadavpur University. Why even outrage tends to be selective? Under such hierarchical social relations, can gender justice for all ever prevail?
Can we expect the state machinery to deliver prompt and fair justice to the woman complainant from Sikkim who is also doubly disadvantaged by her race and economic background? Will Sikkim reflect upon the root causes of human trafficking for slavery in its state and put up an uncompromising fight to demand justice?
We salute the courage of the complainant for her attempt to break free from the shackles of those who betrayed her and pushed her to be violated for the rest of her life. We condemn, in the strongest possible words, all acts of human trafficking and forced sexual exploitation of women.
We demand speedy trail and prompt justice to be delivered. We demand the perpetrators to be brought to justice, through an impartial investigation and speedy trial in court.
Only the unity among an oppressed can break the chain of patriarchy!
Let us all join hands together and raise voices for gender justice.
Gorkha Students, JNU
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