VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, A GLOBAL MENACE.(Up date)

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By K P Paswan

Atrocities and violence against women are happening from time immemorial. But with spread of education and increased employment opportunity. coupled with growing consciousness have no effect on the precarious conditions of women. Even after advent of democratic ideas, we find women are being treated as slaves in many civilized societies of the world. In ancient times, we learned of several kings having hundred of wives and women slaves in the service of kings. In ancient time a king’s victories over other kingdoms, meant enslavement of entire women population. which had social sanctions of these practices. It appears women are borne to suffer and suffer till their last breath.

COSTLY DIVORCE. When the entire planet is facing the wrath of Coronavirus, there is practically no impact upon certain billionaires, who divorced their spouses without any reasons, not even domestic violence was quoted as ground for divorces. Divorce is being granted on the basis of mutual consent Some of the billionaires called press conferences along with their spouses to announce, the happy ending of their marriages, they were smiling as if they hit the jackpot. In fact, they hit the jackpot as the divorced wives received million of dollars as maintenance cost for agreeing to the proposal for divorces. The richest man on the earth paid billion of dollars to his divorced wife, who later on, happily married a poorly paid teacher. All these billionaires are old and on the verge of entering graves.  It appears that the mourners must include young girls, who married these jokers for fun. A particular person from US who enjoyed the title of being the richest person of the world for almost a decade, was not always the richest person of the planet, His predecessor has a history of marriages and now in his early 80s. he does not remember the names of his former wives.

Women are also not legging behind. A popular American female actor married several times, her last marriage was held, when she was about 70, when she died, none of her former husbands attended her burial. Women are being subject to violence, through out the world. In Africa, we find men, marry several times irrespective of religion. A particular religion permits men to have four wives, but in Africa persons belonging to other religions also practice polygamy on grand scale.

GLOBAL MENACE. Peru, a Latin American country, appears to be heading the list of nations notorious for atrocities against women.  Every day there is loud protests, but of no avail. Recently, women in France took the street against the rising crimes  owing to domestic violence. France is a democratic country with liberal thinking. It is a strange coincidence that in educated society, domestic violence and heinous crimes like rape and even murder of women is increasing. Every country in this world profess equality and introduce laws to punish the perverts of crimes against women, but the trend is not seeing declining.

In Asian countries, honor killing is not uncommon. In fact, in India and in Pakistan, honor killing and rape are very common, in most of the cases, accused are freed by judiciary citing reasons, which even an educated person cannot understand. Benefit of doubt always goes in favor of rapists and murderers.

CASE OF O J  SIMPSON. When we write violence against women, then we also examine the role of judiciary in dealing with such type of cases.US was held captive by trial of OJ Simpson for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman in 1995.. Both were stabbed to death outside of their residence in !994. Simpson was soon arrested after the crime and pleaded "No Guilty". The Prosecutor produced strong evidences and emphasized Simpson’s violent relationship with his ex-wife. 

The murder prompted debate about judicial system, and the media, many commentators suggested that media all over the world had got its priorities wrong, by turning the trial of black ex footballer star turned film actor into a Hollywood mega production. There were sufficient evidences to prosecute OJ Simpson, but black American denounced the trial based on racial discrimination, while entire white communities considered OJ Thompson guilty. Continuous television coverage throughout the world considered as serious abuses of power seen only in India besides America.

 The defense taking advantage of wider sympathy for the accused prepared strong ground for the prosecution of the investigation officer, who was accused of planting false evidences. Blacks dominated the Jury and within two hours of deliberations, OJ Simpson was declared not guilty. It means no body murdered Miss Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman. The fate of the case was known with the empaneled of Jury. In this trial, Black jury were inclined to  credit the absurd  unsupported by any credible evidence that the white investigation officer planted a bloody gloves to incriminate Simpson. The prosecutors expected that several Black women on OJ Simpson panel would respond with compassion, when they heard the frightful tapes of her emergence call to the police, when her husband was brutally beating her up. It seems more likely that husbands are wont to behave like that. 

There was ridiculous invention, that Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman were murdered by Colombian drug dealers. While rumors were set afloat with sufficient evidences that that OJ Simpson and his friend Kato Kaelyn, bought drugs earlier that evening in the car park of  a hamburger restaurant and that OJ was high on drug, which would explain the ferocity of the killing ( Nicole’s head was virtually severed from her body) But these evidences were never put up before the court.

 This incident proves that when atrocity is committed against a helpless women by her wealthy husband or influential persons, than the victim will never get the justice. After acquittal OJ Simpson's career was ruined and these days, he is rarely remembered.

 Next pathetic story happened in India, where women are considered as goddess, but in real practices a large number of highly educated and illiterate women are subjected to torture  rape,and murder and in majority of cases, murderer are let off by judiciary, as the Defence cook story more believable than hard evidences collected by police. In a widely publicized case, parents, their teenager daughter and an aged servant were fast sleep in their house. In the next morning the teenager and the servant were found,  brutally murdered. Police found, no outsider could have entered the house, needle of suspicion was pointing to the dentist parents, who were put on trial after much drama and also outcry by media. The case was entrusted to the premier investigation agency of the country, which after one year filled a closure report, expressing helplessness in finding the truth. The trial court refused to close the case and started the hearing on the basis of available evidences.

 Prominent criminal lawyers of national fame defended the parents. The parents were found guilty and was awarded life imprisonment. As usual the case was heard in high court, where once again famous  lawyers played their games. The parents were given the benefit of doubt, which means no body killed the teenager and the poor servant. We find violence against women involves a fixed pattern all over the world. Only in UK, defense, in murder cases find themselves at the receiving end. Death punishment has been abolished in Britain but the killer cannot escape harsh punishment, if the case is presented by the prosecution with clinching evidences. While economic offenders have hundred of excuses to evade the punishment, a killer is always is suspected unless, lack of evidences, whether circumstantial or real disturbs the judicial system. In a way British legal system is more rational than legal system of other countries.

NIRBHAYA MURDER CASE. In another instance in India, an innocent girl was rapped and brutally murdered, nearly seven years ago in the national capital of India. There was huge outcry through out the country. All the accused in this case were employees of a public bus. All the  accused except were awarded capital punishment. Now it was the turn of human right activists who demanded abolition of capital punishment.

 In the days of capital punishment, few lived to tell the crimes committed by him/them. In this instance, which happened in New Delhi, one man was saved from gallows, not because he was innocent, but because he was not an adult, at the time of ghastly murder He also showed maximum brutalities. He is still alive and somewhere leaving under the radar of watchful eyes.  It was a baffling murder and a almost unexampled in the annals in crime.  

Human right activities expressed profound grief and sympathy for the murdered girl, but these activities had more sympathy for the accused. The lone fighter, the mother of the murdered girl must be praised for her stamina. She stood against the bizarre arguments of human rightists, Moreover, Their Lordships, in this case were also bound by Review petitions, Curitic petitions and repeated attempts by the defense lawyers to seek mercy from different constitutional authorities. Cancellation of death warrants was followed by Date after date for next hearing. Final verdict was greeted by general public with enjoyment, But the verdict had little effect upon other criminals in the southern parts of the country. A woman was rapped and murdered by a group of criminals, who were employees of a pick up van. Again, there was nationwide out cry. The culprits were apprehended and while trying to escape, the criminals were killed in police encounter. The killing of criminals was celebrated with enjoyment. As usual human right activists raised their head against police encounter.

RESPONSIBILITY OF WOMEN. In India, rape of women followed by murder is like Gun Culture, being prevailing in US. There are certain sections of women and a few organizations, which consider themselves as champions of women rights. One Judge of High Court in India described the entire police force as the most well organized gangs of criminals. Women are being advised to avoid visiting certain public parks after 6 P.M, but such preventive measures are hated by women, forgetting that even males try to evade these parks visiting in the evening, for fear of being waylaid and killed by ruffians and drug addicts.

FINAL THOUGHT is nothing but extreme pessimism. Violence against women and brutal murder is seen everywhere in the world. There is no permanent solution in sight. One small way to mitigate the sufferings is to provide maximum employment opportunities to women. Overambitious women are mostly victims of murder and rape. In absence of strong political will, violence against women will continue to be a global menace.