Trigger Warning: Mention Of Sexual Violence
“Any society that fails to harness the energy and creativity of its women is at a huge disadvantage in the modern world .” – Tian Wei
Our country has progressed a lot in the past few decades, be it in terms of technology or economy, we are giving a tough competition to the developed countries of the world. And not surprising we are also giving tough competition to countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, etc when it comes to being the most unsafe/dangerous country for women in the world. In fact, according to a survey done by the Thomson Reuters Foundation in 2018, India was ranked as the most dangerous country for women in the world.
This should not be surprising to us because this is the same country where girls are married off at the age of 10-12, where women are raped and then murdered brutally, where women have to place harassment at workplace and the list goes on and on.
The Constitution of our country states that everyone should be treated equally irrespective of their gender, race, caste, social and economic background, skin colour.
Is The Constitutional Right To Equality In Our Country Just On Paper?
The reality is far from this. Forget about equal treatment for women, in our country many consider women as low-grade citizens. This stereotypical society has made the lives of women in our country and around the globe miserable The society has captivated them in cages and refuge to set them free. Parents unknowingly and sometimes knowingly teach their daughters to be oppressed. After marriage, a woman needs to take the ‘permission’ of her in-laws and husband in order to work. Why?
Men Don’t Need To Take Permission From Their Spouses In Order To Work After Marriage. Why Should Women?
There are people who want well educated and well-earning wives for their sons but on the other hand, refuse to educate their own daughters. Parents refuse to send their daughter out at night or to a friends place or even on school trips out of the fear of what may happen to them. Is this fair? Is it fair to ask our daughter to stop living their lives the way they want to just because we fail to teach our sons how to treat women?
We need to give women and girls the opportunities they deserve. They have a lot of potential in them but don’t get the right platform and support to showcase their talent. I say so because I have seen it with my very own eyes.
As a part of the school community outreach program, I would visit an all-girls primary school in Kanhai village, Haryana. There I taught the fifth graders. They were so passionate, determined and committed to achieving their dreams. All they wanted was to be of any use to this society. The same society says girls should not be educated as they are a burden on the family. It’s high time that we change the way we treat women.
Time and again, the women of this country have shown how capable they are be it Mary Kom, Geeta Gopinathan, Priyanka Chopra, Sudha Murty, Mithali Raj, Sharmila Nicolletor or Dipa Karmarkar. There are many more like them and many more who aspire to be like them. All I want is that their wings are not crushed and that they are not stopped from becoming what they are capable of.