India, are you listening to you Women?

There goes another glowing headline in bold red letters on the front page of the Shillong Times – Masked Miscreant molests school girl in city locality. The shameless man was filming the victim, minding her business. Where do such men find the audacity to wreak havoc on the lives of others? The toll such a dastardly act has on the mental health is lifelong. Physical wounds heal, but what about the invisible wounds inflicted on the mind? I was watching the series on Amazon Prime – Kha
uf, although touted as a horror but, it will take a critical thinker to analyse & conclude that the show is on the “horror” & humiliation that a woman feels as an aftermath of sexual abuse. Back in college, I had a friend in Delhi who went through the same horror on a bus, her clothes stained by a predator,  just like it was shown on the show.  She still talks about it, although now infrequently in stolen moments of weakness, I can see the hurt in her eyes even after all these years. In a country where we worship goddesses, where does this devotion go when the time comes for empathy towards women victims? Where does the piousness & purity go when giving justice to victims? When will we as a collective society put our foot down for once & say, now it’s enough?

It is the year 2025, and India finds itself at a pivotal moment. We have made tremendous strides in all the sectors & business is booming. The skyline gleams with innovation, a battle of the best AI. The economy pulses with digital drive. Jungles and villages vanish to make way for highways, homely cottages give way to soulless high-rises, and yet, for millions of Indian women, progress remains something they still must fight for every day. From the swanky hotel boardrooms in Mumbai to the squeaky, shiny, lemongrass-scented hallways of Gurgaon’s chic offices, and from the remote village council in Pondicherry, the road to equality is still riddled with age-old barriers, silent battles, and quiet screams. There are tiny, hidden, cracked corners on those “squeaky, shiny lemongrass scented hallways” that we blissfully ignore. A side eyeing snicker here & a gossip there, a woman boss here & a boy’s club there. These cracks are the issues that we discount, as we are not the victims. Its ugly claws are ready to pounce on unsuspecting innocents at any given moment. We are dressed up in Gucci & Versace, yet tentacles of crime spare no one, we ooh & aah for a second & then move on, spraying the stench of crime with Dior & Armani. And the victim? “Oh chalta hai, boys will be boys.”

A silent epidemic is happening behind that impermeable glass ceiling; we see it all but are still blind by our actions. It really rattles my brain as to why this issue, time & again, is being swept under the rug. Like a wound we want to hide from the world, only for the wound to fester over time & spread infection.

Every 16 minutes, a woman is raped in India. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), over 31,000 rape cases were reported in 2022, averaging approximately 85 cases per day. This translates to about one reported rape every 16 to 17 minutes. It's important to note that these figures probably minimize the true scale, as many cases go unreported due to factors such as social stigma, fear of revenge, and lack of trust in the legal system. Despite legal improvements since the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case, conviction rates remain low, hovering around 27–28%.

Behind that statistic is a woman, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a colleague, a friend whose life is traumatized forever. Just last year in 2024, the horrific rape and murder of a young doctor at the hospital, she served in after her tiring shift in Kolkata, shook the nation once again & year on year this keeps going on. From 2012 Delhi Bus to 2024 Doctor at her hospital, nothing has changed. People ask, what was she wearing? Why was she out so late? I want to reply to them; the doctor was wearing her uniform & was resting after her night shift. There is media scrutiny, full on debates on Primetime, Debate guests being shout at by the anchor, public outrage, Instagram stories with hashtags, protests, candle light marches, influencers making trends & reels out of these tragedy, just like they insensitively did on Pahalgam attacks but the memory of the public & the prime-time anchors is short-lived. They always move on to the next news sensation within days. In Kolkata case, over 300,000 resident doctors went on strike, not just in grief but in fury, demanding that women be safe, in hospitals, on buses, on their way home, just asking for the safety of their existence, is it too much to ask? Every day, not even fortnight, everyday there are rape reports. Don’t get me started on the sexual violence against males, who equally face prejudice when it comes to reporting the matter. These news reports get hidden from bold, highlighted front pages to tiny reports on far-flung corners of the newspaper & eventually forgotten. While we move on with Nari Shakti & Women empowerment, can I request the present government to work on war footing on this “elephant in the room” issue? Not only for women but for other genders as well. How have we, as a society, become so insensitive, so cold & so devoid of empathy? That as soon as the dawn breaks, we sweep it under the rug & push it out of sight like an eyesore.

Laws do exist, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005), the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act (2013), but justice often moves so slowly that even a snail will win the race against it. Seven out of ten women who face sexual harassment at work don’t report it. Not because they don’t want to, but because they’re afraid. Afraid of losing their job. Of not being believed, Of being ostracized. Of being sidelined & marginalised. Of being asked what they were wearing. Of being asked why they were out watching a movie at 9 pm. Of being asked why they were sleeping at the hospital restroom after their doctor’s shift. Of being asked why was the 90 years old woman wearing a modest saree. Of being asked why was the small child wearing shorts.

India has many laws that look great on paper. But enforcement is lacking severely, and awareness is even weaker. The New Indian Express reported that only a small percentage of government and private institutions have formed ICCs (Internal Complaints Committee) in some districts, despite it being mandatory. Many women don’t even know what protections they are entitled to under the law. Domestic violence laws cover not just physical, but also emotional and psychological abuse. But how do you report bruises on the soul & mental health that will last a lifetime?

The future of India is not sealed in GDP data or glossy growth charts. It’s written in the footsteps of a young school girl in Shillong who just wants to get home without crossing her fingers for safety. It’s in a woman in Bengaluru who dares to speak out against harassment, knowing full well that standing your ground, doesn’t always come with protection. It’s in a Dalit woman standing outside a toilet for her basic human right to dignity, that’s been centuries late.

This isn’t about development, it’s about who gets to live without fear. Who gets to dream without asking permission. It’s about her. Her? the girl, the woman, the mother, the unheard. The one holding up half of your sky from falling over and still being told she’s too much, but still not enough. If she isn’t safe, we’re not civilised. If she’s silenced, our progress is a lie. If her basic dignity is negotiable, then nothing we build will ever stand.

The future isn’t on its way, it’s already here. And she is watching & waiting. Asking each one of you one inaudible, soul-shaking question, "Will I matter in the world you’re building?"

Praying for a Safer World for Our Children

-Shivani Pde