Can death penalty change mindsets?

The judgment in the December 16 Delhi gang rape case has been deferred for another two days amid a lot of clamour for death penalty for the guilty four. The “collective conscience” of the nation, we are told, will only be satisfied if the men who perpetrated the heinous crime are sent to the gallows. But, a lot of ordinary women negotiating urban spaces feel a death penalty will not go far in making cities safer for women.

There’s no debating the fact that only the harshest punishment can provide some solace to the family of the 23-year-old paramedical student. But the real question is whether a death penalty will send out a strong signal. Will it make men think twice before they sexually assault a woman? “I doubt if men who rape think whether they will get a life term or death before committing the crime. Most men don’t even see anything wrong with it and feel they will get away with it,” says Pallavi Singh, a 22-year-old who works in the publishing industry.

The enemy, it seems, is the deep-seated patriarchy and a sense of sexual entitlement among men. Indeed, one in four men across Asia has admitted to committing rape, according to a recent United Nations study that surveyed 10,000 men. Over 73% of these admissions cite a feeling of “sexual-entitlement” as the main reason behind them committing the crime. How far can a death sentence go in fighting such notions?

“Death penalty for a few is not going to change mindsets. Finding recourse in death penalty merely indicates that as a society we have decided not to make any further effort towards changing sexist attitudes and mindsets towards women... we will just hang all of them!” says  Rimple Mehta, assistant professor at the School of Women’s Studies, Jadavpur University.

Most agree that gender sensitisation right from the school and social reforms seem more important in the long run. And, of course, the police have to do its bit in creating a culture of zero tolerance when it comes to crimes against women.

“Dhananjoy was hanged too. But that didn’t stop crimes against women. Rape is not a crime that only hardened criminals commit. There are incidences where close relatives, neighbours and fathers are involved. It is important to send a strong signal but it won’t be enough,” says Ranjana Kumari, director of Centre for Social Research, a Delhi-based organisation that works for women and girls.

Kumari feels it is the collective responsibility of communities and the criminal justice system to change things for women on ground.

But if recent incidents of rape in cities and towns are anything to go by then things are not going to change anytime soon. “There has to be a sustained effort to change societal attitudes towards women. Otherwise, safety for women will remain a chimera,” says Shikha Dimri, a 26-year-old communications professional. Dimri, however, feels that the brutal events of December 16 make it imperative for the courts to hand over a death sentence and hopes it will strike some fear. This time in the hearts of men who rape.