Delhi University's English Professor Dr Brinda Bose joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on how to make India safe for women.
Q. For once there should be good policing in and around the malls. Also there should be a census on the number of autos plying in the city along with the details of the owner and driver. Furthermore, women while traveling at night should keep couple of people of their whereabouts before boarding the auto or taxi. These should help in bringing the menace down. Asked by: EMathew
A. Yes, indeed. it is necessary for the government to ensure all precautionary measures for safety in public places. It would also be wise as you suggest for women especially to be cognizant of dangers and keep in contact with friends and family when travelling alone and late.
Q. Educating the child - both girl and boy is a must, especially on respecting the women and avoiding teasing. This should be emphasized more at home by both parents. But the constant pressure forces both the parents to quarrel and flight, which is a sight that's seen by the children and imbibe them. Your thoughts. Asked by: EMathew
A. I agree that parents - or any adults in the home - should be in general agreement about guidelines and advice regarding safety and behaviour, as it would otherwise be confusing for children to receive conflicted messages. However, I do think that it is important to stress the need for equal freedoms, opportunities and options for girls in comparison to boys. There should not be one set of rules for girls (in the name of protecting them) and another for boys - because then that is where discrimination germinates.
Q. Namaste ma'am,Happy women's day.What is your opinion,that how we can eradicate issues like dowry.We all know that it is an evil,corrupting our society but still it is rampant,and is rampant in so called educated class.And your opinion on role of some institutions like khap,which with there old mindset are acting as an obstacle in increasing tolerance towards women role in our society. Asked by: Ashish kumar(jst)
A. Namaste Ashish - and thank you. There is no question that practices like dowry are inherently evil and therefore destructive of our society, as you say. My opinion on khap and all other such 'institutions' is that of course they need to be banned and their perpetrators punished. But we know that this can only come through a different kind of education, not merely literacy and studying in elite schools. There must be a change in the social mindset that sees girls as less worthy than boys right from birth, and evaluates them as liabilities rather than as assets.
Q. Children must be taught the values of life, moral values Then only women will be safe in India. For this TV channels movies must play an important positive role. Asked by: Prathap
A. I have a more complicated view of this - I believe that the values that children must be taught are of the equality of the sexes, freedom to be what one wants and respecting the desire of others to be what they want (including girls) as long as those are not of criminal intent or harmful in any way. It is not possible, nor desirable, that an entire nation lives a life of 'purity' and 'penance' - it is necessary that everyone learns to live in equality and respect of each other, and each other's bodies - especially when it comes to women.
Q. How to make India safe for women? Asked by: Priya
A. By teaching both boys and girls and men and women that women have equal rights as men, in public and in private, over their minds and their bodies. And that there can be no violating this code of equality and freedom for women.
Q. Dear Brinda, If history has taught us anything is that the group/individuals which stands up for themselves, command respect. While feminists ask for more for women, don't you think they should stand for all? By asking for particular group aren't they being (kind of) divisive? Asked by: SN
A. thanks, SN, for a thought-provoking question. But aren't feminists asking for more for women because women have so much less? so all that the more is asking for is equality, and freedom to be like the 'other' who is more privileged? equality should stem divisiveness rather than multiply it?
Q. Ma'am,where you think, we lack the will to tackle the problems like rape,morale or political. As on the moral grounds, there was a huge public uproar after Delhi incident but still there are news of rape from Delhi and surrounding area and about politics, what will be said, will be less. Asked by: Ashish kumar(jst)
A. I think we lack the will to tackle it because the nation is not convinced that women deserve equality and freedom. Apart from law and order issues, that is, which the government needs to ensure and pledge. But the social mindset is the real obstacle, I feel.
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