I Would Like to Ask You from a Men's Perspective Whether That Incident Has Changed Some

I would like to ask you from a men's perspective whether that incident has changed some men's minds on the issue? (268 words total)

The world watched the mobilisation against the Rape case in Delhi. The mobilisation was started and spearheaded by women’s organisation as well as by student groups. In India, this type of a mobilisation, where men in such large numbers participated was also seen for the first time. However, it cannot be inferred that men have changed on the issues of gender discrimination or sexual violence against women. We realise and have tried to establish that there are some men who don’t believe in nor support violence and an aggressive form of masculinity but many such men remain silent or perhaps do not know how to react against such injustices.

Secondly, the role of the media was very crucial in portraying this case as a burning issue for a length of time. There was a lot of aggression in the public against the government due to its failure at many platforms, especially its failure in tackling corruption. This anger received a vent when people came out to protest against the rape on the roads.

Delhi, the national capital of India, is known to be an aggressive city and this aggression can often be seen on the roads. There had been several incidents of sexual assault before this case, and this case certainly has not led to the end of such incidents of sexual violence on the streets, which are being reported daily in the newspapers. The reporting of the cases in media has increased considerably since the incident and the role of police has been under scrutiny and discussion. These can be treated as successes of the whole mobilisation.

I know much remains to be done, as it does here in the UK too, but I saw men coming out onto the streets at the time to protest - so is that something new? (170 words)

During the protests, men from the civil society and from middle classes came on the road with the human rights activists. This was a very positive thing for the movement; otherwise men like us were failing fighting the issue alone. The men that stood for equality and believed in human rights got a space and an opportunity to join the movement. With their energy and activism, a genuine pressure was created on the government to establish an accountable law and order mechanism. This pressure led the government to respond to the demands and setup a committee to suggest provisions and details that can be included in various laws. Activists got the opportunity to contribute to law making by providing their comments and suggestions. The government passed an ordinance, which was contested by many women and other human rights activists as the government reduced the age of consent of sex, as well as placed capital punishment for rapists. The government presumably wanted to show its seriousness and commitment on the issue.

Why did this incident so galvanise public opinion? (was it because it was so very brutal?) (209 words)

While no one can deny that this was a very brutal incident of violence, however this cannot be termed the only cause of the huge public interest and outcry. There have been many cases earlier of rape, leading to murder. The media highlighted and sold this incident and there were days when the first 9-10 pages of the daily newspaper covered stories related to this incident. Along with the media, the anger of the common person against the government also added to the mobilisation. This situation created a very high pressure not only because of the human rights violation but also because of the moral position of the government. Another concern that arose was the role and responsibility of the civil society in keeping the government and other authorities accountable.

Another reason for the public interest was also the fact that the young girl was in fact not doing anything that can be termed potentially high risk. She was returning home with a male friend after watching a film in an urban part of the city- something we all find ourselves and our friends and families doing every day. Her violent rape was therefore seen as a very high failure of the authorities responsible for maintaining law and order.

- is the outrage still there 3 months later? (93words)

While the public outcry and demonstrations on the roads may have reduced, the cases of gang rape and molestations are continuing unabated. The public outcry is evident in the fact that these are continuously being reported in the media and the process of getting justice has become speedy. Earlier, sometimes the police was not even ready to file FIR on a case of violence, but ever since the police force came under questioning, they are immediately lodging FIR and taking action. Fast trial courts have been established which are speeding up the process.

- do men hold the key to change, and if so, what is being done at a grass roots level to enable this? (121 words)

The changing of mindset is a very long process. There is a sequential need to design the training material and courses and to establish the processes where the aggressive and violent masculinities can be challenged. The wide ranging celebration of aggressive and hegemonic masculinities needs to be stopped. Objects and toys that promote and glorify violence need to be discontinued and banned. The education system needs to instil in students of all age groups a respect of human rights and a respect for women’s dignity. Men have to learn the role of caring and join the caring work, which will help them to live better as human beings rather than objectifying women as something that they have to control and destroy.

- and from a personal point of view, what do you hear from your male peers on this issue? Can you comment positively on it in any way? (128 words)

I got several opportunities and was invited to speak in various educational institutions and in other fora that were involved in social justice and on the roles and responsibility of men in gender equality and ending violence against women. This whole mobilisation created a positive atmosphere where men became more open to listening and were arguing less to justify gender based violence. The men who believe in human rights and gender equality are showing interest in joining the larger movement work for a longer duration and are ready to speak out against cases of VAW. If more and more men continue to remain associated and come out on the streets to speak against VAW, it will help in creating a violence free world for women, and for all.

Short Bio of Satish Kumar Singh

Satish Kumar Singh is the Deputy Director of Centre for Health and Social Justice. Satish is also part of Humsafar Women Crises Centre. Satish is among the founding members of various national and global networks on the work with men for gender equality like Forum to Engage Men (FEM), Men’s Action for Stopping Violence Against Women (MASVAW) at the national level; South Asian Network to Address Masculinities (SANAM) and MenEngage Global at the international level. Satish has been instrumental in setting up the work with men in various states of India like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and even Jharkhand.

Satish over the past 25 years has imparted trainings, conducted workshops, and led discussions on issues of Gender sensitization, Sexuality, Violence against Women, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, Masculinity, Male involvement in women’s empowerment, etc., and has worked with community based organizations, youth, adolescents, DTC staff, Police personnel to name a few.

For more information please visit www.femindia.net or www.chsj.org