Every so often there is reported a crime, so heinous that it makes one and all sit up. But, as is expected, the pace of investigation and the action to follow slackens and it becomes another of those unfortunate incidents that would be soon forgotten. This is especially true in the case of crime against women, where, the extent of horror keeps extending the threshold of mental acceptance and after a while the repeat incidents are reported often for sheer titillation! Even today, it is not only the repressed and the uneducated woman or the unsuspecting children that become targets of the sick machinations of the human mind, but it is also the emancipated women who are not safe. Surprising but true, according to a WHO study, a woman gets raped in India every 54 minutes! It is not unusual to find stories of minors, and even children under the age of ten, falling prey to the wicked intents. There have been incidents that have escalated in the degree of gruesomeness, but not one ruling in the cases to set an example. How else can one expect the offenders/potential offenders to refrain from such acts? So, where lies the solution? Should there be capital punishment for such offenders so that one can put a stop to this soaring crime rate?
Mr A I completely agree that this category of crime should be totally unacceptable to the society and the best way to put a curb on such happenings is to have capital punishment for the criminals and offenders. What I am about to say should not be interpreted as a justification of killing, but that of my contention here. When a murder happens, the person is killed and not let to live and suffer the anguish. But here, in the cases of rapes and molestation, the offender should not be let off even with limited punishment. If they are allowed to get away with it, what is the guarantee that they will not come up again with another of such acts? There has to be devised a way to simply stop the incidents. There has been a lot of argument against capital punishment, but how do you get back the same life for a six year old who has been robbed of innocence even before life did start meaning something to her, or that of a young woman who has just started shaping her career? Agreed that the punishment will not revert their status, but it just might prevent the others from even indulging in such acts.
Mr B I feel for the victims of such acts, but there is another way the entire picture can be looked at. It is really not true that an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth can come into play here. We cannot take away a life for a life. That is exactly why capital punishment of any and every sort was done away with, in the first place. Things would have been different if a life could be got back by taking away another, or that meaning could be imparted to a life by sentencing the other to death. It is very difficult to judge the circumstances under which a crime has been committed. If it comes to be proven later that the person, who had been convicted and done away with, was actually innocent, how would you restore that life and give reprieve to the close ones of that person. Capital punishment does not leave any room for correction of mistake in judgement.
Miss C I cannot agree with you. Just consider the scene in totality in the country. Numerous incidents of sexual assaults and rapes of minors and women are reported... what happens to them next. We don't know. We just read about them, shake our heads in despair and then forget the whole issue as we move on to read the next news item. In this country, the victims would either die of shock, or commit suicide and those who cannot do anything would be subjected to further torture—be sold to become a part of the flesh trade, which is a thriving industry now. How do you account for the lives of the countless that have not known life in even its simplest colours? The conviction rate of the accused in such cases is tremendously low. Only five per cent of the accused in cases reported are convicted. In such a scenario where the system of appeals lets the judgement move further and further away, how can one lie back and promote this fearlessness. Do we want more half-lives or do we want the perpetrators of such crimes dead? I feel that it is time someone took a stand and had something substantial done about this problem.
Miss D I admit that whatever my friend here says is absolutely true, but then, is establishing truth easy these days? Much to the dismay, but I would like to mention that the number of cases of women wrongfully accusing men are coming to the fore. It is often seen that in cases of animosity among families, the incidents are wrongly reported and stories are fabricated to take revenge. Just consider a situation where an innocent could be sentenced wrongly to death. Investigation takes time and the levels of corruption have enabled white lies to seem real. It is not simply in the cases of molestation, but there are cases of women having accused their men wrongly of harassing them for dowry to get even on certain counts. I agree when my friend says that there must be some room for correcting mistakes if they are ever made.
Mr A There is something about the whole issue that is very disturbing. Instead of simply presuming mistakes in the judgement, would anyone consider the plight of the victim in such incidents? Our society is such that the offender can still get away after committing the act and find a place among the multitude. The woman, on the other hand, who suffers the violation of her mind and body, is more or less transformed into a queer object for the society. She is considered polluted and cannot be taken into the fold. This amounts to a condition in which the victim is virtually ostracised for no fault of hers. The trauma extends to the family members and is not evanescent. The stigma attached with being a rape victim is as bad. The life stands almost ruined, as the mental balance is very hard to regain and with no one coming forward to help the wronged, there can hardly be any motivation to carry on. It does not matter if the victim does not die, for it is as good as dying many times over in the mind. How can one let the offenders in these cases get away so easy or even allow leeway for them?
Mr B One can really see that the crime is gross and reflects the sad state of the society. But I would want to know if pronouncing a death sentence against an offender will do much by way of helping curb the crime? Fear is an antidote, but it will not work in all situations. In my opinion, a lasting solution for the problem lies in a more constructive effort, that is educating the masses and improving the outlook of the society as a whole. There can be a great change if the women are made more stronger mentally and cautioned to carry some sort of weapons like the stun guns to disable the assaulters. Patrolling must be increased in the areas that are potential places of attacks. Often, it is seen that the women themselves do not come out in the open about such incidents having happened to them. They must be made to realize that it is in the interest of the whole community and that they would not be ridiculed. Also, the NGOs as well as the individuals must come forward and fight for the cause of the victims. Moreover, if from the very beginning, the males are taught to respect the women counterparts, things will become better. Literacy does work magic.
Miss C I still suspect how potent is our friend's solution in doing away with the filth that is there in the minds. There are several examples of debauchery on part of civil and educated masses. Where does their sensibility and respect go in such situations? I would still prefer that the strictest of punishments be meted out to the offenders. In the riots that gripped certain parts of the country, it was astounding to see that educated men from middle class families indulging in such gross activities. This is a real life happening that has belied all hopes of civilization and chivalry. There is not only this one thing, violence against women exists in our society in so many forms and it is disheartening that the women are so taken for granted. In my opinion, unless and until a few examples are set up before all to see, there is hardly anything that would refrain them from such despicable acts.
Miss D It is really very demoralizing to see that in this age when we have made advancements in all spheres, there are still aspects in the human character that have failed to evolve. And what a pity, it only extends to the hapless woman to be let out! It is a shame that women are still not recognized for the contribution they make to a family and the society as a whole. The brutality and the barbarity of the incidents that one comes across is truly shocking. Suggesting capital punishment for such crimes against women could be one way of intimidating the potential offenders and making them refrain from mores of the sort. But then, there is also the danger of closing all doors after pronouncing a judgment. The system of investigation cannot be relied upon with a blind eye and one has to think twice when it is about deciding about a human life. One cannot afford to decide in haste and repent at leisure here. Nonetheless, a way has to be figured out to put an end to such tragic happenings.
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