contents Socio-political Dynamics of the Hindu Caste System
Kumari- A Tale of the Living Goddess
Witchcraft Allegations: Violence Against Women in the 21st Century There is No Honour in Killing
The Worst Horror Story – Rape
Shame and stigma: T he taboo of menstruating in South Asia Battling Sexism: There Is No Women’s Day
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GEOPOLITICAL
HANDBOOKS
THE DEPTH OF TABOO SOCIAL ISSUES IN SOUTH ASIA
ADITI ARYAL
Aditi Aryal is a student of Social Science and writes about social and developmental issues pertaining to exclusion, inequalities, and gender disparities in the South Asian context.
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THE DEPTH OF TABOO Social issues in South Asia
ADITI ARYAL
With diverse culture comes a plethora of problems craftedas social, economic, and political issues that need to be strategically dealt with. We are looking at a large chunk of the Asian continent that houses almost 2 billion people where some sectors of the society face atrocities at personal, communal, societal, and national level. These issues peculiar to the South Asian part of the world arise from notions of superiority and inferiority reflected indifferential factors like caste, colour, creed, sex, and religion.
Despite living in the 21st century, backward practices like enslavement of some people by others, honour killings, rape, accusation of practicing witchcraft, and taboos associated with menstruation are still borne every day by the vulnerable marginalised groups. These iniquities result from traditional conceptions of domination by the powerful of the weak.
This is reflected in rape, where power play leads to men deeming it a birth right to have access to women and in the caste system where the higher castes dominate the lower castes as a norm. Similarly, the idea of pride and prestige result in honour killings of people. Patriarchy, bigotry, and misogyny more often than not influences and determines how people perceive and respond to these issues.
Deeply embedded in the social hierarchy exists a suffocating oppression borne by the minority who are the direct victims. Even stringent laws fail to curb these issuesbecause of how deeply culture is rooted within the system. As a result, as the rest of the world progresses towards newer developments millions in South Asia plea inaudibly for rescue from these vices that are so firmly sown in the system. This anthology covers few such issues that deA lot of these issues are systemic, inter- mand expeditious radical change for the woven, and contingent on each other. Peo- larger good. ple in these societies are aware fully about the existence of these problems, acknowledge them, and also pledge to change it but that never materialises. It takes a lot of effort to break free of the restraints that have been in place for generations.
Socio-political Dynamics of the Hindu Caste System
IF THE DISCRIMINATIONS and disparities on the basis of gender, race, religion, and creed were not cruel enough, there exists a system in Hindu societies that perpetuates segregation on the basis of caste. This caste system comprises four castes the Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudrain order of rank. This is a system that has been in place for a thousand years. This system is directly linked with other determinants of a person’s living standards and access to education, health, income, and opportunities.
GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS This kept continuing over generations from one to another and people automatically started taking the occupations of the families they were born in. Over the years, the system originally of division of labour changed to a system of oppression as the higher castes became more educated and rich because the kind of work they were involved in and the conditions of the lower castes deteriorated because of various discriminations that had come their way. The others could dominate Shudras because This extends much beyond a person and is they were poor, dirty, uneducated, and lived a part of a larger society which is greatly in terrible conditions. prevalent even today in one form or the other. Caste and Religion
Origin and History
The Hindu mythology places the birth of the caste system in the creator out of whose body parts; mouth, stomach, thighs, and soles of the feet; emerged different groups of people. This gave birth to four castes, and the interpretation and development vary among different literatures but the essence that remains constant is that originally this system had been in place to serve the purpose of division of labour in the society. Basically, people were divided into various castes based on their occupation, the Brahman were the teachers and priests, Kshatriya were the army, the Vaishya merchants and traders, and the Shudras served the previous three castes. This meant that Shudra took up all the remaining work no one else wanted to do like sweep the streets, bury animal carcass, and work in other people’s fields.
This system has its bases in religion making it one corrupt institution that has furthered stratification in the society. When the idea of differentiation of people on the basis of their castes is made obligatory by religion, the individuals profoundly religious are bound to inflict upon others mistreatment and malpractice. It would be unreasonable to believe that people would discard what has been followed as tradition and culture guided by religion because if people were that kind of rational, this system would not be in existence today.
Having said that, we can now fathom a society where everybody knows each other’s caste and treat them on that basis. There exists inequality in society which is given validation due to the social norms and customs that are a huge part of religion, like visiting temples or participating in communal activities.
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GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS The people from lower castes are banned from entering temples or fetching water from the communal wells and taps. In fact, people get violent towards them for entering temples on almost a regular basis. They are barred from hearing the religious texts, let alone see or read them. The very religion that rendered them as outcastes also does not permit them to read or practice it freely.
Additionally, the indigenous communities not traditionally Hindu have also been a part of this system due to an overwhelming influence of the Hindu majority in Nepal and India, both. This has also caused disadvantage to the people of minority religions and sects. Buddhism was in fact borne out of the fact that it was a necessary declination to an egalitarian society without discriminations based on caste. Caste and Society
The cultural and social behaviours are often pre-dictated and everybody that is a part of this system follows it without asking twice.
The word ‘untouchable’ is not loosely used in this context. They are literally considered so. The Brahmins, for example, do not accept food or items that have been touched by the lower castes.
In a modern-day scenario, it could translate to a person being told off for hailing from a low caste, their opinions insignificant, and their say in social and personal affairs negligible. It was observed by Human Rights Watch in six states in India that children from lower castes cannot go to the same school as others, and if they do get enrolled they will not be allowed on desks and chairs but on the floor and other children do not interact with them. Also, the ethnic languages of these children belonging to the lower castes could be different; ‘crass’ and ‘uncivilized’; from the mainstream language so these children do not understand what is being taught to them and they cannot communicate with other kids who anyway refuse to interact with them in the first place.
Because the societies are held intact by religion, it permeates into other social institutions and thus all these institutions fuse at some point. Therefore, due to the system of discrimination that is the caste system, there exists heredity and affinity towards one’s caste. People are born into one caste and they can be excommuni- In India, an alarming 2 million children are cated if they are dishonorable. out of school for these reasons. In rural Nepal, complaints of not being given adeThis system is kept in check and difficult quate mid-day meals, forbidden from using to break out of because of the fear of the school toilets, and regular bullying are shame that comes from being excommu- some of the reasons why they stop attendnicated from the caste and community. ing school.
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GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS A lot of urban people claim to not bother about the caste they belong to but the fact remains that a person’s caste is revealed by their surname and this complicates things because a person’s caste is not hidden. Surnames, in Hindu societies, cannot be easily changed because of societal attachment and responsibilities towards one’s clan and ancestry. Yet, people belonging to the lower castes have sanskritised by adopting the habits and rituals of the upper castes, and sometimes even their surnames.
The children of such marriages or intercaste relationships do not inherit the high caste of their fathers but there exists a complicated system to ensure that the impure offspring does not claim a high caste. Caste and Politics
Constitutionally, caste based discrimination is outlawed in both India and Nepal. However, historically, the Nepalese constitution in 1854 had propagated the system of caste hierarchy and rendered people as ‘enslavable’, ‘impure’ and ‘untouchable’. It was later outlawed in 1962.
It is believed that every 15 minutes, an atrocious crime is committed against a person of the lower caste and six women are raped per day. Women face double disadvantage since they are discriminated against by their husbands and family, and Dirty games have always been played in also by the society. politics keeping in centre the caste system. Representation of the lower castes have alAccording to the UN, stripping and naked ways been low and they are dominated in parading, torture by pulling out nails and the local panchayats (village councils and hair, sexual slavery, bondage, and witch- tribunals). In Nepal and India, it has repeatcraft allegations is really common among edly been argued that the higher castes the women of lower castes. have always dominated regional and national politics despite reservation. In both The entire sham of untouchability seems these countries arguments have harboured to disappear when the men belonging to against the system of reservation on the the higher castes deem it okay for them to basis of caste which has been always enter into sexual relationships with the favourable towards the creamy layer but women of the lower castes. It is more ac- the actual people who require these benecepted for men to marry women of lower fits. Politicians belonging to lower castes castes but not vice-versa. Marriage outside are very few in higher positions, but some the caste is still considered a taboo to include Mayavati and Ram Vilas Paswan maintain the purity in the caste and so in who have only furthered their wealth but cases of breach, the guilty are severely have contributed nothing significant to the punished by the community. people they represent.
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GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS The current President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, is the second president to have hailed from a lower caste since their independence from the British in 1947. However, vote bank politics has a major role to play here because since his affiliation with the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party, the people from lower castes en masse switched their votes from the Indian National Congress. The lower castes make up about 20% of the total Indian voters which definitely has a huge bearing on the society. Thus, they have always been political ploys to garner votes by mobilizing them but in return, they do not get what they are promised. Nothing is really significantly done to change the ground realities.
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Kumari A Tale of the Living Goddess
KUMARI, LITERALLY TRANSLATING to a ‘pre-pubescent virgin’, is also the name of the living goddess in Nepal chosen at a very young age. They belong to the Shakya caste of the Newars, the same caste Buddha was believed to have hailed from.
GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS While the idea of living as a Goddess is very fascinating to some, the truth is that after their tenure they are made to go back and reintegrate with the society they have no contact with whatsoever.
This transition from a Goddess worshipped by so many people to being one of them is not easy. For a little girl of three years to live in one confined building and to talk to only a few number of people, it is It is believed that Taleju, a Hindu demigod- very difficult to start to mingle with the sodess, resides in the body of the Kumari but ciety later on. any form of heavy blood loss or serious illness would mean the exit of the deity. The Earlier, during the monarchy period, the KuBuddhists believe the Kumari to be the mari was venerated and worshipped by the manifestation of Vajradevi. A Kumari is Royal family. The kings received blessings chosen by a group of priests, and has to from the Kumari every year and it guaranlive through her tenure in red and golden teed their reign for the said year. This is clothes and perform various rituals. The partly because the horoscope of the Kutenure gets over upon her first menstrua- mari was aligned with that of the king so tion. that no harm or conflicts would be caused to the king. It begins with a search for the new Kumari for which they look for a girl without phys- This faith and belief from the royal palace ical ‘flaws’, for instance, the girl must not translates to a much better lifestyle then in have had a single wound on her body. Ad- comparison to now. Now, they receive a ditionally, she must bear ‘chest of a lion’ meagre monthly income of $50 in Kathand ‘thighs of a deer’ and meet many, many mandu and as little as $17 in other cities more criteria. After this, they are made to of Lalitpur and Bhaktapur from the governwitness animal slaughter and kept in pres- ment. ence of dancing masked men. The Kumari must not flinch at all, even when later she More importantly, the family of the Kumari has to spend a night in a room full of dead also becomes her caretakers meaning the animals after the sacrifice made earlier the parents have to tend to her full time and same day. Lastly, she has to choose they often leave their day jobs in the among various objects, the one belonging process. This means that the entire family to the preceding Kumari. Having cleared all is supported by one little girl who receives these ‘tests’, she will be chosen. barely any money from the government.
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GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS The Kumaris in the past were not given any education because as representations of a deity they were considered to be omniscient. However, with time this has evolved and the Kumaris do receive education from private tutors but this has a direct bearing on the quality of education received. This is because other people, including her tutors, cannot offend or upset her and have to agree to what she says. She cannot communicate with them directly. She cannot touch them. Moreover, this is an equivalent of being home-schooled and going to a normal school in the latter half of her life is very difficult.
A petition was filed in the Supreme Court in 2008, stating that the practice of Kumari was an ‘institutionalised form of discrimination against girl children’, depriving them of their constitutional rights. However, the counter arguments persisted that the members of the Newar community see this as a traditional practice and do not believe this to hurt the child. They further argue that it is a matter of prestige for the said family, and the child is seen as a divine being and is on a higher pedestal as compared to other people and not disadvantaged.
Because every community is guaranteed to practice their traditions freely and without question, people from outside the community should not comment on their practices. However, this is objectionable because there are communities in Nepal also involved in other practices like dowry, child marriage, chhaupadi (menstruating
women kept in cow sheds), but these have been brought under control via interference by the state and other people.
The Court never decided on this issue and passed the burden on other committees. However, as a token of culture, tradition, and tourist attraction, a 3-year-old was instated as the Kumari on September 28, 2017, after rigorously checking her for ‘flaws’. She will now be permitted to leave the 15th century temple she will reside in only about 13 times a year, and that too on official occasions.
Moreover, her feet are to never touch the ground when she is out of her residence and she will be carried around. She is also not permitted to befriend other people except those approved because of the strict rituals she has to follow as an impersonation of a deity, such as isolation, not being allowed to talk to people, touch them, or step outside her residence. She has caretakers who cater to all her needs but apart from that she will be allowed minimal human interaction. This process is undergone by young girls of 3 years old and sometimes lesser who have very little say in this process just because it is a matter of pride and honour for their families. Her father, filled with mixed emotions claimed to be enthralled to welcome a goddess. She changed into a deity overnight. If this is not deprivation of a normal childhood, then what is?
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Witchcraft Allegations: Violence Against Women in the 21st Century
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN is a reality in many countries. In some, it is not only present but also culturally valid and accepted as the norm. Acts of violence still take place on a daily basis and the perpetrators are usually members of the household.
GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS The women usually accused of witchcraft have familiar traits: they belong to lower socio-economic strata, they are mostly vulnerable and incapable of self-defense, and have no social support. Women already weakly placed in the society are easy targets. These women are then beaten, burnt, made to consume human excrement, stripped of their clothes and dignity and It has been witnessed that gender based walked around the villages, among many violence against women has its roots in pa- other atrocious, inhuman actions. triarchy albeit violence is induced on women by both men and women. Some The passers-by and other gatherers stand acts of gender based violence arise not and watch the commotion happily because merely out of a patriarchal mind-set but for them, the cause of their bad omen and also out of superstitious thinking, out of bad luck is now dealt with. low literacy and unawareness, and out of irrational backward thinking, like accusa- Apart from superstitions, such accusations of witchcraft. While this may sound tions occur for other reasons. Some single like a tale from pre-medieval times, it is till women own property and this becomes an date commonly practiced in parts of Asia opportunity for other people to grab the and Africa. said land. In patriarchal societies, women are usually powerless and to live without a Accusations of witchcraft are baseless al- male head in the family makes them even legations without concrete evidence that a more vulnerable to attacks by other people. person is a practicing witch. In rural areas, In case of families belonging to lower where people believe in traditional healing socio-economic strata, even the men are and would choose a shaman over a doctor, powerless against the inuential people. the belief in surreal activities or magic is very strong. People place faith in other Similarly, women are accused of being people to magically heal them, to ward off witches even to settle scores against them any evils from their lives, and also to en- and very commonly also when they reject sure prosperity. At the same time, they also sexual advances made towards them by believe some women can, by the use of other males. magical powers, ensure harm to them. These women are accused of being The superstitious belief of the mass is witches capable of killing their cattle, caus- used as a tool by other manipulators to ing harm to their family, and coming in the cause harm to unfortunate women. Someway of prosperity. times, even the family members turn
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GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS against the victim, ruthlessly killing her because they genuinely believe she is a practitioner of witchcraft. All of this is obviously based on speculation, hate, intrigue and conspiracy, and has no basis because in the first place, such things are illogical. However, the magnitude of this belief is so strong that it ends up killing people. These instances frequently occur in the uneducated sectors of the society, but is also prevalent among the educated people. Even the supposedly educated people, like teachers, are involved in such activities, once again proving that only getting education does not ensure the riddance of such phenomenon.
When the victim seek help from the police, them being believers of such malpractices do not protect the victim. In turn, they are physically abused or psychologically tormented to confess to the “crime” they did not commit, and punished. The victims choose to confess than to be beaten to death or have their children be beaten to pulp in front of their own eyes. Despite confessing, their mistreatment and torture does not end and they are abused more.
A lot of the victims have been driven to suicide because the trauma of such horrendous acts leaves a lasting impact on them.
It seems simple that they should seek help, especially when there are so many governmental and non-governmental organisations working on women protection issues along with scores of local, national and international laws and conventions existing to ensure such atrocities do not take place. While the concept of seeking help is easy the victims are not able to get any because firstly, the victims do not have that kind of power.
They are usually helpless and powerless against the people who cause harm to them. Secondly, they are also unaware about what measures they can take to protect themselves. Even if they are, it is unavailable to them because they have no The effect of these incidents the survivors access to even a police station. is very grave. Most of them suffer from physical deformities induced after the It cannot be denied that some women do episodes. Lynching of a victim by a mob of receive treatment and can lead their lives determined people leave her severely dam- again. A lot of institutions work towards aged not only physically but also mentally, curbing such acts of violence and the vicemotionally and psychologically. Most tims receive all kinds of necessary aids. women lose their body parts, and almost This act of accusing women to be witches all of them lose their sanity and any will to and mistreating them is rendered illegal by live. the law.
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GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS However, despite these efforts, a lot of the victims die and if not, reintegrating in to the society for them again is extremely difficult. The perpetrators are many in number. This makes it very difficult for the victims to receive justice, because all of the perpetrators are not punished and they continue to roam freely in the society. In fact, a lot of these cases go unreported.
These acts are plenty in number but so are the laws and protection measures. However, what comes in between is the superstitious belief and magical thinking presently deeply in the society, mostly among the rural communities. This is why these acts still continue to take place in today’s date. While the world is progressing on so many fronts, the fact that newspapers have a story covering victims accused of witchcraft every day is very unsettling. It is only through empowering of the weaker women that such acts can be stopped completely because the laws do not work where the people are so superstitiously misguided.
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There is No Honour in Killing
IN 2016 IN PAKISTAN, a popular young model of 26 years old was asphyxiated by her brother because he thought she was bringing disrepute to his family by uploading what he thought was provocative pictures on social media. In September 2017 in India, a girl was dead after her father beat her head against the wall and set her on ďŹ re. She was thirteen.
GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS
In many parts of South Asia, it is very common to come across stories which when reported by the media cause a stir amongst the public but for every case that is reported, many more remain unreported. The major reason on the basis of which these crimes are committed is non-compliance with the prescribed norms in a society, which are foundationally regressive. Any form of deviation from these norms may result in gruesome torture or death, mostly by their own family members.
The most unsettling part of this scenario is the fact that these crimes are seen as means for redemption of “lost honour” for the families and act as a penalty for deviating from the norms. These norms are foundationally misogynistic and render women incapable of leading a life without freedom.
Likewise, in India in 2016, a newlywed couple was ordered to be executed by the Khap Panchayat (informal village council) because they belonged to different castes. The man died while the woman only narrowly escaped.
Most cases of honour killing in the European countries that are reported today are of immigrants who do not want their children to integrate with or adopt the living styles of the western world. Families that hail from traditionally patriarchal and conservative backgrounds cannot accept women being independent and free. To them, these western societies are morally corrupted and are deemed to have a corrosive influence which can only be rectified by murder. For them, nothing holds greater honour in the society than a submissive woman who does not have the audacity to break their regressive norms. In secular nations, however, it is very difficult for these norms to have a standing or tolerance.
The answer to the pressing question of what is it that motivates members of the It also happens sometimes in the rural family to get rid of the “guilty member” to parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India uphold their honour could be varying from that the families are ordered by the tribal one family to another. councils/tribunals to the kill the said family member for breaking the honour code in- Usually, religion and other customary pracadvertently or advertently. Naghma was tices have a lot of importance in these soonly 13 years old when she was killed as cieties where honour killing is rampant. In per the order of the tribal jirga for she had Hindu communities in India, marrying outattempted to run away with two boys in side one’s own religion or caste is a very Pakistan in June 2017. common reason for honour killings.
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GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS Blasphemy, or rejecting to abide by religious restrictions also results in death for many women. The underlying truth is that despite whatever the religion dictates, it is difficult for people to see women be independent and free; and they are killed under the guise of religion and culture. Every adult has the right to live freely and without boundaries, and these freedoms cannot be curtailed by families in the name of honour.
Further, some women are forced to commit suicides while, some honour killings are passed off as murder, many of which remain unreported.
Honour killings are rampant in many societies because a large component of the behaviour of the people is dependent on what other people think about them. This is the major cause for many wrong-doings that exist not only in Asian societies, but also in some parts of Europe. The people are really concerned about their reputation among the other people.
Similarly, girls are not allowed to attend schools or even pursue higher education but are instead limited to household chores in order to prepare themselves to be good wives to their future husbands, who will be chosen by her family. Chastity has a significant role in the honour code and to ensure it, even the slightest commu- In October 2016 in Pakistan, a major loopnication with the members of opposite sex hole in the country’s Anti Honour Killing Bill is frowned upon. was fixed. Before that, members of the family of the victim could pardon the murSo much so, victims of rape are also seen derer legally but now they cannot do so. as unchaste and are, sometimes, killed. This was a loophole because one member Members of the LGBTQ communities are of the family was pardoned by the others also killed for tainting family honour be- who took into their hands the decision of cause any activity that does not conform someone’s death to protect their honour, with the socially honourable heterosexual- more often than not, together. The senity is again, breaking the code. tence also increased from 14 years to 24 years. In Pakistan, at least 1000 women are killed every year for the families who feel that Despite this, only in October 2016, 30 they have been disgraced. In India, another cases of honour killings were reported. An estimated 1000 are killed annually. Glob- increased life sentence still does not deter ally, 7000 girls and women, approximately, the crime from taking place. And more imare reported dead as a result of such hon- portantly, even a change in the legislation our killings. could not bring changes in this society These statistics are only the tip of the ice- where the concept of honour is so deeply berg. entrenched.
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GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS Medieval Europe was also a patriarchal in that it valued chastity and women did not enjoy all freedoms and rights. However, so much has evolved and today European women are independent and can indulge in activities of their liking. This metamorphosis of Europe should be replicated in the South Asian societies with the need to understand that woman are not objects and daughters are not property. For lands with immensely diverse cultures, history, culinary, and beauty, the mentality of some sections of the society is toxic to say the least. This needs to be changed and that can be achieved by even stricter enforcement of law and sensitisation.
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The Worst Horror Story – Rape
RAPE IN ALL ITS HORRENDOUS forms is a marred and an abhorrent trace of patriarchy and misogyny. The direct victims are majorly women, but the fact that men can be –and often are– victims cannot be discounted. Devising its roots in power-play and control, today it carries a heavier weight as a statutory offence with set penalties.
GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS The Dynamics
The causes of rape are far too many, and differs from case to case. The reasons that surface commonly are sexual frustration in men, poverty, mind-sets and attitudes that reflect machismo, a sense of entitlement, unawareness, and acceptance. In 2012, a report by UNICEF published that 57% men and 53% women in India thought marital rape as not rape, and a sizeable number believed that beating of wives by their husbands was not violence.
Despite these penalties and a massive international attention taking forms of media outrage, studies, monetary and legal aid, awareness programs, and safe shelters, rapes of women – young and old are alarmingly high in South Asia by offenders In India and Bangladesh, the legislations of varying age groups. on what constitutes a crime declares it as not rape if the person is married to the vicIn Nepal, as reported by a national daily, 78 tim and if she is over 15 years of age, exrape cases have on average been reported cepting judicial separation. every month over a course of five years, many of the offenders being septuagenar- We need to remind ourselves that in the ians and octogenarians. The Indian Na- South Asian countries, men often grow up tional Crime Bureau Report (NCBR, 2016) being told and shown that they are superior claimed 338,954 reports were made be- to women who then grow old with a sense tween 2015 and 2016 as crimes against of entitlement as they deem it fit for a women out of which 38,947 were rapes. It woman to be available on their demand. also reported an increase of 82% in the in- When these men are unable to earn for the cidents of rape of children. Likewise, in family due to unemployment or otherwise, Pakistan, Human Rights Watch asserts of their frustration takes the form of rape to at least one rape every two hours and one demonstrate their ‘masculinity’ and maingang-rape every eight. In Bangladesh, tain superiority over the women. 13,003 rape cases were reported between 2001-2017 out of which 85 were rapes by Now, this mentality also works in reverse, law enforcement agents such as police, jail where a woman is told be to weaker than agents, and the army. These data are only men and should protect herself from them the tip of the iceberg as many cases are if she does not wish to get raped. In most unreported by the victim, withdrawn upon South Asian families, females have lesser coercion, or refused to be registered as a liberty of movement and choices as comlegit case by the authority pared to their male counterparts.
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GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS This obviously arises from expected gender behavior that good women should be meek, submissive, and obedient but is also centered around the fact that the families do not want their females to be raped.
sentenced to death but in 2005, five of them were acquitted due to lack of evidence. In 2011, the sixth offender got acquitted too. In 2017 in Multan, Pakistan, a jirgah (village council) ordered revenge rape on the sister of an offender. In all these years, nothing has changed and even today revenge rape is still being ordered on innocent girls for no fault of their own as punishment.
This objective of giving women the security inside the family homes is flawed for two reasons. Firstly, rapes and molestation within the family very often exist. In January 2018, a baby girl of eight months was raped in Delhi, India by a relative in her The victims in other countries face social house. stigma and have to live in fear because once someone falls victim to rape, they are Little girls of varying ages have been raped prone to more rapes because the value of right next to a family member by another a person is reduced from that of a human family member or neighbors in several in- to a commodity that is free for public use. stances in Nepal and they could do noth- In Haryana, India, a girl was gang-raped ing, not even file a complaint because this twice by the same set of men who were façade of a domestic protection does not out on bail after raping her the first time six concern a female’s bodily security but so- years ago. cietal reputation. A take-home message is that the onus lies The Aftermath on a woman to protect herself from men who are always lurking in hunt of a prey to Once a person is subjected to rape, the vic- rape, yet again asserting that the victim betim becomes unchaste and impure and is falls such fate on themselves due to their thought to bring dishonour to the family. actions, or in Pakistan actions of their famThe terminology in Pakistan is kari, refer- ily members. ring to someone who has lost virginity outside marriage and an honour killing, Rapes are justified for godforsaken reakarokari, is subjected by the village council. sons and victims told they were ‘asking for The victims often commit suicide or are it’ by travelling alone at ungodly hours, killed by their own families for tainting the dressing provocatively, being friends with honour. In 2002, Mukhtaran Bibi chal- men, or indulging in so called notorious aclenged this status quo by not committing tivities like smoking, drinking, and partying. suicide after a gang rape that was ordered The way these protectionist measures are on her by a village council but filed a case advised always revolves around victim but against all her rapists. Initially, they were never around the offenders, due to the no-
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GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS tion that men have an insatiable sexual appetite and if women portray themselves to be ‘easy’, they are raped. Ranjit Sinha, head of Indian Central Bureau of Investigation once commented that if women couldn’t prevent rapes, they should enjoy it.
These instances prove time and again that the role of a woman is always reduced to pleasing her husband in bed without considerations. In fact, marriage is a holy sacrament that can undo rape – perhaps why victims are married off to their rapists in South Asia who then continue to rape In India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, victims them for the rest of their lives. of rape are subjected to a two-finger test to determine their sexual activeness. This Most importantly, the police and other proprocedure exists despite so many pleas tectors of law find ways to make money from within these countries and outside to out of instances of rape. Like, in January get rid of it on the bases that it is flawed on 2018 in Kathmandu, Nepal, a woman of 22 so many levels as it renders women who years withdrew her report of rape after few chose to be sexually active out of consent days and it was later revealed that the poas lecherous and dirty who have already lice were involved facilitating monetary setbeen touched by a man. tlements between the accused and the complainant with a personal gain. This violation of a victim’s body is backed by the government in the form of a random In Bharatpur, Nepal in February 2018, postranger determining of their worth. This is lice coerced a woman to withdraw her rape of course scientifically inaccurate, and ex- complaint. So many more cases have surtremely irrelevant in case of rape. faced in the southern plains of Nepal where the police have been involved as Equally exasperating is the fact that middlemen. women should remain pious and dedicated to only choosing to be sexually active with Hindrance to Justice their legally married husbands but when their husbands rape them, it is not recog- The reasons behind rape are men-centric nised by the legislation. O. P. Chautala, an but they have been ingrained in the sociex minister in India, once stated that girls eties as acceptable by both men and should be married as they turn 16 so that women. Reporting of rape has been insexual needs of women are met and they creasing in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and will not go elsewhere and rapes will re- Pakistan but the cases are not dealt with duce. However, even statutory age of mar- caution. riage is above 16 in India, and marriage is The victims face injustice and have to go not a way to end rape. Rather, such a state- through denigrating treatment by the police ment renders women as cattle whose own- and health officers, questioning their charership belongs to the husband. acter and morality.
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GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS The portrayal of a victim in the media is a stereotypical one, a non-provocative, harmless, and morally upright person with no past sexual history. Any victim deviating from this stereotype probably brought it on themselves. Further, the media has been reporting on sensitive issues like rape without sensitivity like revealing the victim’s name which is illegal or slut-shaming the victims. Lastly, even death penalties are not enough to deter people from committing rapes. In Pakistan and India, rape can be punished with death but the crime is still on the rise. After the 2012 Nirbhaya case in Delhi, India, a strong plea was made to change the judicial system and a fast-track hearing was introduced for rape because national outrage by the citizens was not deemed enough to bring a change. In Nepal, the fast-track court is in practice too, but the problem arises in procuring evidence which is substantial in these cases.
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Shame and stigma: The taboo of menstruating in South Asia
THE BELIEFS AND PRACTICES that revolve around menstruation differ across societies. In some cultures, the menstruating women are victimised due to the regressive attitudes that exist around menstruation. In others, menstruation as a topic is not up for discussion; it is covered in layers of shame and stigma. Nevertheless, what remains common for the women who go under this natural biological phenomenon is that there exist different battles.
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Actually, these battles have to be fought primarily as a result of some concepts that render women dirty and their bodies polluted; as not sacred enough to befit daily activities. These beliefs reduce women into untouchables and sometimes compel them to live in isolation.
In the region of South Asia, the practices vary from culture to culture, and there is a stark contrast between urban and rural societies. In Hindu societies, families host figurines of deities in their houses that are worshipped regularly with full devotion. The concept of sacred and profane is very widely present in such families, and menstruating women are considered profane. Living in the same space as the god is sacrilegious.
In Nepal, 19% women are banished from their houses to ‘chhaupadi goth’, roughly translating to menstruation huts. Chhaupadi is a practice in the mountainous western Nepal that forces women to sleep and live in sheds for the duration of their period, due to the belief that menstruating women cause ill-luck to the family, crops, and cattle if the god is displeased.
The practice had been outlawed by the Supreme Court in 2005, and recently in 2017 was taken up in the parliament again because it caused death in huge numbers. In 2017 alone, the cases of Chhaupadi related deaths came up and it was immediately re-criminalised with a penalty for the offenders.
Despite this, the practice has not stopped. In interviews that were taken immediately as the nation was outraged by the frequent deaths that took place in western Nepal, the women were questioned if they would still practice Chhaupadior put their daughters through the same after the re-criminalisation and additional penalty. They responded that it was not up to them but on the very societies that coerced them to undergo such malpractice. Furthermore, criminalising the practice would mean filing formal complaints against the family members which is very unlikely. If the women had that kind of powers, they would not be banished to a shed in the first place. Merely making and implementing of draconian laws is not enough because people house their belief systems in superstitious interpretation of religion. Vulnerable in those sheds, women fear snake bite and animal attacks, mosquitoes, asphyxiation due to inhalation of smoke from the fire built to fight the cold, and sexual predators among others.
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However, these families see it more deeming that a woman live in a shed outside the house in unsafe conditions just to prevent the house from being polluted by her presence. This all boils down to the fact that a death of a menstruating woman would be justified because at least, the god was spared from pollution, the crops and cattle were intact. It perhaps gets justified as a result of something she did, maybe touch a bottle of pickle, who knows?
A large section of the urbanised sectors lament, often in forms that take of troll posts and memes, about the so-called ‘feminists’ in the ‘East’ who limit their talk to menstruation to come off as empowered in contrast to the ‘feminists’ in the ‘West’ who battle real and important feminist issues like ‘equal pay’ and ‘glass ceiling’. Dissecting this, it dawns upon a realisation that people in these societies regard the women who talk about menstruation in the open as aggressively progressive. Moreover, they would rather dismiss the topic as something irrelevant and consider talking about it lesser important than talking about other inequalities. However, it is only fitting to be vocal about menstruation as much as required.
We forget to remember that women in remote areas with poor access do not benefit from the choice between various menstrual products at their disposal. In India, less than 16% of the women use marketed feminine products.
In various parts of the country, women use sand, or wood shavings or pieces of cloth. Now, the issues that arise are of infections amongst other things. To begin with, these products are unsafe and pose a threat of infections like urogenital infection and bacterial vaginosis. The cloths are repeatedly used without being sun-dried because of the shame of exposure of the used cloths to men and other women. What also prevents these women from using hygienic safe products is due to unavailability for several kilometres, unaffordability arising out of poverty, and embarrassment to ask for even a sanitary pad, especially from male shopkeepers. In fact, 23% of the girls drop out of school upon starting their menstruation. The Indian government, along with entrepreneurs, and educators have worked hard to ensure all women have access to sanitary products. However, the lack of funds, expensive to afford one-use products, unable to maintain quality of the low-budgeted products, and failure to meet the needs of all women in the country are some problems that are faced.
In Pakistan, 80% women do not have access to sanitary menstrual products. UNICEF reported that the biggest hindrance to sanitary conditions was prevented by the lack of washing facilities. In fact, for a country frequented by natural calamities and insurgencies in some areas,
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GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS women should be educated and encouraged about using hygienic productssince there is always the likelihood of moving to temporary shelters in such circumstances. It was reported that a stunning number of girls are shocked upon menstruating their first time because they were not aware about it. In only a few years to follow, many drop out of school or stay absent from school when they are menstruating, thus hindering their education.
To sum it up, menstruation has been evolved as a shameful event in this part of the world. Menstruating women are shunned and indoctrinated as inferior and unchaste and they do not even fight against the practices but accept it as normal. Firstly, religion has a significant part to play as it is due to the god-fearing purity seeking individuals that seek to maintain the sanctity of their surroundings from where the concept of sacred and impure arise. But, how can any practice be religious if it causes the already disadvantaged more detriment?
Lastly, this exclusion of men and terming menstruation as a ‘woman thing’ has led to men genuinely having no idea what the deal is about and why is it important for women to be safe, clean, healthy, and rested when they menstruate. Thus, a change is necessary by educating women, by subsiding sanitary menstrual products, criminalising discrimination against menstruating women, and by including men in this drive.
Secondly, unawareness and equating menstruation with shame and secrecy has worsened the situations to where women are not comfortable with their own bodies so much so that they from birth to death are unaware of their own anatomies. Where mothers are themselves not at peace with their body and bodily functions, passing it on to their daughters is difficult and discussing about it with their sons unimaginable.
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Battling Sexism: There Is No Women’s Day
WOMEN’S DAY IS CELEBRATED all over the world on the 8th of March with great fervor. Despite the fact that women have come a long way since the firstly held women’s day in 1909, we are still fighting for progress and equality with the theme for 2018 being #PressForProgress. Being a woman definitely goes beyond the mere biology of possessing a body that could be dissected and thus categorised into belonging to that of a woman’s. It also goes beyond the expected gender norms and roles given to women by the society.
GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS and sex crimes. Honour killing is on the rise, even for trivial matters like talking to an unrelated male. Discouraged from looking beautiful, wearing bright colours and make up, and eating what they desire, or remarriage, widows live a terrible life of solitude and unhappiness. The year 2018 brings 109th women’s day and it should be a good place to discuss what it means to be a woman in today’s time, and the difficulties that come along with being one, with a major focus on the eastern part of the globe.
In Family And Society
Women have been suffering discrimination and injustice in the hands of men and other women. In families in the developing world, girls and boys are treated differently. Girls are taught to take care of their appearance, language, habits, elegance, and manners because as grown up women these attributes make great difference on the way people perceive and judge us. Growing up, girls are brought up more strictly than boys and made to participate in the household chores more.
Portrayed as perfect caretakers, homemakers, and nurturers, women have never been able to rise from the basic household duties, which in most cases is unpaid work. Not only are women left behind in the labour force with little participation, they very rarely hold higher positions.
Housework is considered petty work and women who work outside the houses are valued more. It has also been concluded through various research in Brazil, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe that women who worked outside their houses faced lesser domestic violence, were more actively participating in politics, and had a bigger say in family matters. However, most women cannot in families make decisions also on subjects that concern them and this further impacts the overall participation and representation in the society. When some women do try to break from the bounds and speak up on things they are dissatisfied with, they rarely get support from other women because everyone is not mobilised in the society to speak up for themselves.
Upon marriage, brides and their families pay up ginormous amounts in cash and kind to the grooms and family. Menstruating women are still considered unchaste and impure and thus banished to animal In eastern societies where worshipping of sheds where they die of cold, animal at- goddesses and demigoddesses is fairly tacks, infestation of insects and reptiles, rampant, being a woman means having to
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GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS live as a victim of unwarranted assaults, and sexism. Sometimes, being a woman means having been killed in the womb or immediately after birth because the family and society wanted a male child. Often, being a woman means constantly having to look behind our shoulders for a potential rapist even in the safest of areas out of fear that has been institutionalised since we were children. In Media
The value of being a woman is reduced to that of exactly what should not be, especially in the media. Commercial advertisements still show women as weak where they cannot fix their own things.
They also show women as efficient workers in the house: doing the dishes, laundry, taking care of children who are hungry, sick, sleeping, tired, dirty, and such. Lab coats are put on women only when they need to tell us that ‘9/10 experts recommend the product’. Dark women are ugly and unsuccessful and fairness treatments are advertised without any hesitation. Advertisements for menstrual products do not actually try to inform people about the importance but rather focus on women on periods doing things they would not even do otherwise.
In print media and otherwise, women are always portrayed rather uncomfortably. Sexism has been reported to exist in forms that denigrate women, usually by the terminology and pictorial representation.
Women’s sports team are called the ‘Women Sports Team’ and men’s teams are simply called the ‘Country’s Sport Team’. In some segments in the Nepalese newspapers, some female models and actors are asked questions like their favourite sexual encounters and positions, and their thoughts on masturbation. While these things are not wrong, per se, but there is a growing trend of using revelations of these women against them. One very famous female actor was once attacked on social media in 2017 for saying something along the terms of her preferences. Once women start talking about enjoying sex as an activity they are judged in the society because it alters from their opinion of a ‘good woman’. A good woman does not talk about her sex life in public. Marketing gimmicks involve victimising women in the form of scandals, nudity, and stereotypes. Lastly,
We celebrate women’s day every year to celebrate the difference women have been making to humankind. However, one day in the year allocated to profit making ventures like unnecessary programmes and rallies does very little. After the festivities are over, everybody goes back home dealing with the sexism of everyday lives.
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GEOPOLITICAL HANDBOOKS In fact, there is no such thing as a women’s day if in reality we ensure women hold on to the same footing as men, are given equal salaries, freedom, treatment, opportunities, education, inheritance, importance, and chance to live. If women and men were equally placed in the society, we would never need for a separate day to remind each other to send out women-centric quotes on Whatsapp and Facebook. Rather, if we noticed and placed importance on subtle things and tried to avoid committing actions that brought out disparities among genders, every day would truly be women’s day. However, this 2018, let us truly #PressForProgress by smashing the patriarchy. For now, a happy women’s day.
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