Trigger Warning: Mention of sexual violence
“Women have a voice. They need to feel empowered to use it, and people need to be encouraged to listen.” — Meghan Markle
Introduction
Our world is heading recklessly towards development. The notion or thought of making cracks in the walls of well-plastered patriarchy and paying attention to women in society has been the first brick of development. This decade has given birth to different visions in our society. It includes novel sensitive perspectives, sense and awareness of feminism, productive roles of women, their values and needs, and their right to live as freely as a man.
My Story
Before addressing the need, facts and necessity of women empowerment, let’s talk about women’s lives. I will not put a full stop on my chain of thoughts till I take you all on a walk on the territory of horrendous crime against women, the sick mentality of the society, rape culture, body shaming, harassment and many more.
I would like to share my experience as a woman in Indian society. Like many other girls, I have also encountered the social ridicule of behaving according to society’s norms. Growing up, I was a victim of unintentional discrimination. I never realised until I began to construe; I could see my body changing, my mind questioning the why of everything, and my heart wanting to do things I’d been denied. Before even knowing the meaning and effects of hormones, puberty and adrenal rush, I felt caged.
I was blamed constantly and restrained from doing things that my brother could easily do. It all started from not speaking loudly, not talking much with boys, never show my skin, keeping a safe distance from boys, and many more, the number is uncountable. Being questioned and judged at every step I use to take made me extremely furious. After I hit puberty, I became responsible for what my hormones were doing, and liking somebody made me a criminal in front of my parents.
My high school was a total roller coaster ride; I was consistently body-shamed for either gaining weight and or being petite. The first 18 years of my life, I have been taught to always think about society. It’s the same society of unknown cruel people who judge and rule our lives according to their stereotypical customs and traditions.
I can’t entirely blame my parents because our parents were brought up by following the same rule book during their upbringing. They want us to follow their footsteps and agree to everything without questioning. And we did that because they never had an open conversation about sex, hormones, puberty, its effects and how to deal with it. They never got that, so they never understood. The same they tried to pass on, but it seems like the rules need amendments. The most challenging task is changing mindsets, and encouraging people to questi0n their traditional customs. But it’s high time the change is made.
Facts And Statistics
We all love numbers when it’s about money, but you will hate numbers when I start unraveling the number of cases of rape, harassment, acid attack and sexual assault against women in our country. Should we express our grief only for the Hathras rape case, the Unnao rape case or Nirbhaya rape case just because these are the only ones our news channels have highlighted?
Sadly, these are the very few cases that remind us and fill our social media stories with rage and angst. Let me give you the bigger picture of this horrendous crime. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 33,356 incidents of rape involving 33,977 victims were reported during 2018, making it an average of 89 rapes daily.
In 2017, registered cases were 32,559, while in 2016, the number was 38,947. These statistics only belong to one country. Imagine how many girls are raped every day in 190+ countries all across the world. More than 60% of women have experienced sexual harassment at their workplace. Rejecting proposals of guys or not giving consent to sleep with their father has prompted men to throw acid on a woman. This excruciating physical pain can also emotionally scar women for life.
It is a hue and cry shame that marital rape, even after so many years, has not been criminalised in our country. One in three men admit that they’ve raped their wives, and one Indian woman is raped by her husband every three seconds. Above all, misogyny and egoism of men have reached the cliff of shamelessness. Now and then, we hear about men trying to mentally harass women. What could be worse than hearing politicians objectifying women openly on news channels!
Women’s empowerment has become the basic need for our social system. Women empowerment is not just about women; it’s about men too. As women in the run for equality and our rights, we must not forget about equity. As men, they need not let their male egos come in the way of a woman’s betterment. Men need to let the oppressed voices of women stand up for themselves. The movement of empowerment demands acceptance and encouragement by society.
What You Can Do
The initiation of this movement should begin at home. Parents should understand that the guidelines with which they were brought up cannot be followed by our generation. The paradigm shift of change and understanding can do wonders. We are responsible for making our parents realise the importance of the time changing. Though it can be quite enigmatic and complicated for our parents and us in the beginning, but with constant push, they will gradually understand where our happiness resides.
Our parents can start by not discriminating between their son and daughter. They need to open the doors of a conversation by breaking the so-called traditional custom of simply imposing everything on the child. The discussion between parents and their kids should involve sex, menstruation, hormonal imbalance, peer pressure, drugs, etc. These conversations will act like an umbrella that will protect their children when they encounter these things as they would know that they would then have someone to go to without hesitation.
How Can Feminism Act As A Tool Of Empowerment?
In this era of empowering women and enchanting the music of feminism, it becomes our prime responsibility to use the movement to rise from the right situation. Some women have misunderstood the concept of feminism and are using this as a weapon to demean men. They get swayed away without facing any charges because of fake allegations. Moreover, sexual assault of men is not taken seriously in our country. This agenda isn’t about attaining superiority. Women need not follow the concept of pseudo feminism, misandry for any limelight or their rights.
This movement aims to get equal rights, treatment and opportunities for women without being questioned because of their gender. Most importantly, the law of equity, along with equality, is the key to a better world. Regardless of what gender a person belongs to, they should be held accountable for their actions. Everything should be based on one’s capabilities. As an individual, a small step towards change is what can make a huge difference. We cannot judge people based on their gender and respect them for who they are.
Conclusion
We are a society and we can bring change if we stand up for what is right. All women warriors who stood up for their rights over the past decades have ignited this movement. Their cascade of hard work and fight is the result of today’s women working and living their lives on their terms. I know the ultimate goal is yet to be accomplished, as this just the beginning, and for reaching the destination, all we need is the attitude of never giving up on our rights, lives and ourselves.
The intention of this revolution is not to overpower. The purpose is not to create a patriarchal or matriarchal society, but a world with human beings who are kind to each other. The physiological difference is the only difference made by the Almighty. All the other divisions based on caste, creed, religion, colour or gender have been created by us. It’s for all the humans out there, and not just women.
“If you want to see the change, accept the change, be the change, let the change reflect on your personality and you will see, this world will become a peaceful place of beautiful souls residing together.”