TABLE OF CONTENTS
500+ Words Essay on Sexual Exploitation of Women
Women have always been regarded as the weaker sex, and this has indeed been proved true by perverted monsters lurking in all the shadows around the world. One in three girls all over the world has experienced some physical exploitation in her lifetime.
It is appalling to see that women have been disrespected and persecuted for no fault other than the bestial desires of their perpetrators. Even in India, this trend is nowhere near a decline.
On the contrary, women are increasingly feeling more unsafe despite living in the best of conditions in the better parts of the country.
Educated or not, women are always regarded as chattels by some men. Unable to accept a denial of their patriarchy and a no from the woman they eye, men resort to exploitation of women. Females have tried to make men understand that their “no means no,” but movies and songs in our culture have often celebrated the opposite.
A woman’s no is seen as an indication of her coyness and a request for more attention. But women have been continuously harping on the fact that they feel uncomfortable because of undue attention.
This is true for smaller and less-educated suburbs in our nation where men feel entitled to have a woman they choose to satiate their lusts, but the problem does not stop here. Workplaces, where women from the top echelons are equally appalling with regard to their respect for them.
Their success is often viewed as a reward for their physical availability and attractiveness, and men often mock the idea of being ordered and led by a woman.
In smaller areas and villages, rapes take place every day and often go unreported. The biggest reason for this nonchalance is that due to decentralisation, the village panchayats have accrued a lot of power. They decide that a woman who is no longer “pure” because of this heinous crime can never show her face to the society and she is only a burden on her family.
The best solution for this, according to the panchs, is to get her married to her perpetrator without holding him accountable for such an act against humanity.
Objectification of women in all areas of life has had a tremendous impact on the youth of the country. Songs, movies, and other paragons of our culture try to symbolise women as objects of beauty whose sole aim of existing is to be desirable to men and also shield themselves from the lust of unwanted males when they have been married. Nowhere no one discusses the need for men to lower their gaze and control their base instincts.
Recent changing trends
There has been no significant decrease in the statistics of female exploitation and crimes against women, but at least in some parts of the country, the attitude has decidedly changed. People are now beginning to understand that women need to work and find their own identity. The criminals are the ones who need to be stopped rather than curbing the freedom of women.
In very orthodox hamlets, women have started experiencing freedom, and mothers have begun teaching their sons the virtue of respect for all living beings. It is a revolutionary change when we see how far we have come from “Sati” to “Purdah” and now freedom to dream.
The emphasis is still on learning self-defense, but the logical argument still stands that women cannot single-handedly tackle a whole gang of perverts on an abandoned spot. This is not even a dream scenario. Recent crimes in India have rattled the country, and the circumstances in many of them were as stated previously- one woman against many inhuman men.
The country has now started understanding that these men have to be punished and further such horrors prevented. Women cannot stop doing everything they want for fear of such people.
Instead, the law and authorities have to ensure that the fear of extreme punishments is deeply instilled in men contemplating such acts.
The cultural heritage of India has been brought to the fore, and we have now started truly seeing how revered women have always been in our culture. Nobody should have the right to defame and defile their bodily sanctity in such a way.
Whether in movies, songs, writings, the parliament, or even in their other workplaces or at home. Feminism is not just a move to seek better employment and wages for women, but respect akin to that received by anybody on account of their existence as a human being.
This is a heartening trend to see. Women have suffered a lot in the past few decades. Criminals have only been emboldened and brazen because of the lack of strong punitive action that sets a precedent for them. This is all at least beginning to change.
The role of society
It is fine that the law has stringent measures to punish such dastardly acts, but the root of all this evil is the feeling of entitlement prevailing among the males in the country. They have to be taught that no other person belongs to them.
The other thing plaguing this nation is the lack of sex education and an open discussion on this very natural need of human beings. An open and healthy discussion teaching every man his limits and the naturalness of their urges will allow them to better open up about their desires and forge better relationships with women.
The forbidden fruit will then become something very natural, and the obsession with it shall diminish to a great extent. This is not the only solution, but it shall go a long way in establishing healthy attitudes towards sex.
The other important role of society involves the education of mothers. Their education involves a complete change in their attitude towards their daughters and sons. They need to let their daughters have the same rights and privileges as their sons, and instead of telling daughters to cover themselves up, remind their sons to respect every woman. When sons learn humanity and begin respecting the personal space and rights of every human being, irrespective of gender, society shall have been successful in raising good men and women.
Conclusion
The fact then remains that men, especially in India, have to unlearn all of their ideas of patriarchy and enlightenment. The society needs to understand how hurtful it is for a woman to be alienated because a man decided to cross his limits with her. Instead of shaming the woman, society needs to stand by them and take action against the criminals.
Women have to stop being each other’s enemies and ensure that they do not abet the males around them in exploiting another woman. Self-defense and demure dressing are not the answers to this ever-present question of how to protect women.
Thousands have suffered and lost their lives because of the uncalled-for rage of men on being opposed. Acid-attacks, rapes, and molestation; no place seems safe anymore. The courts and the law can only percolate so deep in society. The rest of the change has to come from the roots.
The age-old ideas of “boys will be boys” can do nothing except aggravate the situation. Boys cannot be boys until they understand what being human means. And this humanity needs to be ingrained deep in society.
“Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation, and it is perhaps the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture, or wealth. As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development, and peace.” –Kofi Annan