“Es, My sister has been molested by her Research Guide Professor at her University!” This was the first sentence I heard when I picked up a call from a good friend who called me up from Manipur the other day. The sister mentioned here is pursuing her PhD in one of the most renowned University in Kolkata. Hearing about this degrading and disgusting act by a respected professor abruptly left me astounded and speechless. How can somebody of his stature think of or even imagine the possibility of behaving with a girl like that, forget a girl, how can he even think of behaving so lowly to his own student?

Have we ever come across in the news or through hearsay that a man/guy has been a victim of attempted molestation, or have we come across a shocking news of a man being gang raped by a mob of girls because they could not control their urge for sex when seeing a man walk by wearing a short boxer and a sleeveless vest? Never has there been an incident like this and never will be. The fact is, in spite of all development, empowerment and revolution of the status of women in the society, Women has always been and will always be the weaker sex and an easy target for those filthy, dirty minded and degrading mindset men who can never control their adrenaline rush or instant and quick urge and excitement in seeing a semi nudity or even a little or less exposure in the girls clothing.

The problems with women still persist with regards to molestation, eve teasing, physical and sexual abuse. Rape/gang raped, prostitution, sex trades, trafficking, slavery and domestic abuse and assault. Yes, Women do consider themselves and accept that they must be treated the way they are as they tend to have the nature of being true and kind-hearted and the tendency to have a soft and fragile sentiments and this is the reason these problems still exist not only in Our state, region or our country but all over the world.

Since ancient times, Women are seen and considered only as a house keeper, a home maker, a child bearer, care taker and a server who should oblige, respect and agree to whatever a Man says. But with the evolution and revolution of society and advancement of human knowledge, liberalization and modernization, this views has changed to a level which is supposedly considered advanced and beneficial for the Feminine sex to find their rights, fulfill their duties and responsibilities and exercise their ability to co-exist with equal dignity and importance with the Masculine Gender in a peaceful and progressing society. But does this development decrease or omit the security and safety of women in the society? Does it remove the impossibility of a woman not being a victim of molestation, rape or domestic assault or even at least diminish the taboo of treating women as an inferior?

To add to the Facts, situation and hindrance of being a Woman, let’s look up some of the prevailing issues faced by women from parts of the World.

–>In the Middle East (Central Asia), it is compulsory for all women and girls to cover themselves when present in public with a veil or Burqa (a full body cloak worn by Muslim women). Of course this is in accordance to their religion but how can a religious preaching be so biased towards the appearance of a women?.

–>In Dubai and UAE, the practice of auctioning girls is in practice where pretty young girls are auctioned to physically serve and satisfy the highest bidder.

–>As per the records of WHO(World Health Organization), 100–140 million women and girls are living with FGM, including 92 million girls over the age of 10 in 28 African countries, as well as in the Arabian Peninsula. Now, FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) or easily termed as Circumcision is nothing but a partial or complete removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs, for non-medical reasons. If just conceiving the idea or the process of a Circumcision bring the shivers then imagine, how those women would have felt when it is done on their body that too during their early age.

–>In India, According to latest statistics, nearly 10 million or 4.7 crores female fetuses has been reported death over the past two decades. Of the 12 million girls born in India, one million do not see their first birthdays. Researchers for the Lancet journal based in Canada and India stated that 500,000 girls were being lost annually through sex selective abortions. Of course, our country is famous for female feticides.

–>Even developed and advanced nations in Europe, North America aren’t either astray from women discrimination. Workplace Harassment and Workplace discrimination to Women Employees is a common practice in these regions. Every 1 in 4 US women complain of being a victim of workplace harassment.

And yes, don’t think that the above mentioned facts and practices about women are all of it; this is just an introductory and a fragment of many other unrecorded, unexplored, unnoticed and unvoiced troubles and issues faced by Women in any and every society in the World. Women Empowerment, Feminism, all these are bought up to uplift the status and opinions about women in societies but to what extent does Women Empowerment rises? Does it rise with the exception of women being free and untouched at all by discrimination, rape, molestation and physical or sexual abuse? Isn’t it true that in spite of so much movement and Revolution of Women Empowerment and struggle for an equal status in the society, Women stills remains the inferior sex prone to all crimes/assault and eye luring to the opposite sex just because of wearing what they want?

At the end, the safety and the feeling of security in a women’s mind will still be a big question no matter how much education, knowledge, intelligence and ability is being gained for a simple reason that, the Masculine Gender stereotypes are more egoistic and have a sense of Dominance (not said by me, Research and studies said it so!) over the Feminine Gender. But with a hope, in time, this mindset will change and women can walk the roads, heads held high, unaware and least bothered about being molested, raped or eve teased with the thought of being safe and secure walking the roads alone or during night-time/late hours. A very good and captivating lines I came across the Newspaper on the Delhi Gang rape case ‘If my dress provokes you to rape or molest me, your stupidity provokes me to slap u hard”

The ending quote, “A Man who cannot respect a Woman is not worth being called a Man”
P.S. Referring to the first Para, I tried my bit of helping my friend by at least writing a police report/Statement on the unfortunate incident that befalls her.