Delhi will do the slutwalk - should we?

An underage girl apparently raped by four youth and a cabbie last week. A policeman accused of rape in May. A nine-year-old said to be raped by her schoolmates in a shelter in April. Five differently-abled girls reportedly raped in March.

And these are just the documented incidents of rape in Mumbai in the past few months. There would be other cases, inappropriate liberties unreported, silently suffered. After all, it requires enormous fortitude after enduring rape or indeed, any kind of molestation, to withstand the scrutiny that follows. Worse, if the mentality surrounding the situation happens to be myopic. Sample: A Toronto police officer commented in January that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised”. In other words, women who get raped are in some manner, asking for it.

Needless to say his unfortunate choice of words and other instances that followed led to a global movement in protest: Slutwalk. If you aren’t already informed by now, the name came from the police officers words, the reasoning being to discourage condemning character on basis of appearance. Obviously no woman is looking to get raped - what she wears should hardly be equated with compliance for outrage of her modesty.

June 25 will see Delhi join this global protest march. Which might make sense considering that in figures released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) earlier this year, Delhi accounts for almost one-fourth of the rapes reported in the country — monickered the ‘rape capital of the country’.

Moreover, a report citing a recent World Bank survey said that 500 women were raped in the capital in 2010, and it was found that the number of women harassed as they travel from work has risen by 27%.

As far as our own city goes, the same report outlines how 80% of women in Mumbai find public transport unsafe. Worrisomely, NCRB statistics peg Mumbai second after Delhi nationally at 182 rapes reported in 2009. Again, these are not actual numbers as many women may not report what they suffered.

Meanwhile, marches of protest are all very well, but are they effective in the long run? Our laws where rape is concerned are considered draconian and until recently, so were some of the tests for rape victims, read: the intrusive ‘finger’ test. The Union budget allocation for the welfare of rape victims has also been slashed by nearly 85% from the previous financial year.

In a bleak scenario, maybe some sense of individual responsibility might help. Reports outline how there has been an attempt amongst a few, like this online group, started by a man, not a woman, where pictures of eve-teasers can be posted, aimed at shaming offenders. Or similar support groups/forums, both online and in the form of workshops that can aid victims who do not wish to be identified. But the efforts are sporadic, few and far between. Besides, what we need to realise is that beyond all else, it is the mindset that needs to be tackled, as much as the consequences arising from the act itself.