Lots to learn from Badaun gangrape, says psychiatrists, activists

Bengaluru: The shocking Badaun gangrape and murder case stunned the world and put India in the spotlight once more for the seeming inability of the  government to curb the frequency and ferocity of the country’s crimes against women.

The unsavoury episode at Badaun has given parents and concerned citizens in the city, pause for thought. Dr Nimmy Shetty, mother of two school going girls, confesses  that she dreaded sending her kids in school buses after a few cases of molestation by school drivers were reported by the media. 

"I taught my two-year-old daughter about the ‘good touch’ and the ‘bad touch’ when she came up to me and told me that the watchman kissed her and she did not like it. I think, going by the kind of times we are living in, we should educate our kids about this and tell them not to trust any other man apart from their father," she comments. As a mother of two young growing girls, fear for  their safety is constantly uppermost on my mind."

Even in a country like India where a rape is committed every 22 minutes, according to Indian government statistics reported by the AP, the never-ending, heinous acts continue. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 24,206 rape cases were registered in India in 2011 but only 5,724 people were convicted for the crime. Such statistics reveal how rapists are treated across various communities. 

"The Jati culture is clashing with global culture and leading to a schizophrenic society," explains Geetha Menon, founder, Stree Jagrati Samithi, who is also a concerned mother.

DC spoke to various psychiatrists looking for solutions. "People from the two different sexes are not clear how to relate to each other. mostly because of societal changes," says Dr R Srinivasa Murthy, Former Professor of Psychiatry at NIMHANS. Dr C.R. Chandrashekar, a renowned former psychiatrist said, ''These people will never learn and such crimes will always be committed. But both punishment and prevention can deal a blow, not fully but to a great extent. We need to understand that just laws cannot help us in this situation.’’

Admittedly, the journey to a rape-free country is a long one, but it’s achievable, say psychologists.