85,000 rapes in the UK: Wonder who has the colonial hangover?

Feature

oi-Vicky

The past couple of days have been all about the Nirbhaya documentary which has been banned by the Indian government.

The views expressed by death row convict Mukesh Singh about how a woman should be blamed for rape has given enough fodder for many in the West to say that the Delhi rape incident shatters Bollywood fantasies.

Worse the Kuwait Times publishes an article with a title, "Rapist's views reflect those of many in India."

While Kuwait should be one of the last countries speaking about woman's rights, one must also not forget a survey conducted in Britain where a third of them felt that a woman should be blamed for rape.

The rape statistics in the UK are nothing to be proud about. There are ample issues relating to women's safety in the UK and statistics would show that approximately 85,000 rapes and 4,00,000 sexual assaults that take place every year.

The Britain survey of 2005:

A survey conducted in Britain in the year 2005 found that one third of the participants in that survey felt that a woman who acts flirtatiously is partially or completely to blame for being raped.

The survey also found that over a quarter also felt that a woman is partially responsible for being raped if she wore revealing clothes.

Britain's rape statistics too is nothing to be proud about. There have been an approximate of of 85,000 women being raped on average in England and Wales every year.

Over 4,00,000 women are sexually assaulted each year. 1 in 5 women aged 16 to 59 has experienced some form of sexual violence since the age of 16.

Does rapist's remarks reflect the Indian mindset?

In the Kuwait Times there is an article which states that the statements made by Mukesh Singh reflect the mindset of many in India.

The writer asks, how different were the convicted rapist's words from comments that Manohar Lal Khattar, the top elected official of Haryana state made last year?

"If a girl is dressed decently, a boy will not look at her in the wrong way," Khattar told reporters. Further the article quotes a 2009 incident, "In 2009 when a rightwing Hindu group attacked women in a pub in the southern state of Karnataka, then-Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa said that he wanted to "end the culture of boys and girls roaming around in malls holding hands."

Some facts about Kuwait:

A 2014 report on the rights of people in Kuwait has this to say about Women's rights.

"Kuwait gave women the right to apply for posts as prosecutors, which until then were only open to male candidates. This will allow women to pursue careers as judges in the future.

However, women continue to face discrimination in many other aspects of their lives, and large legal gaps remain in protections for women.

Kuwait has no laws prohibiting domestic violence, sexual harassment, or marital rape. In addition, Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaiti men cannot give their spouses or children Kuwaiti citizenship.

Kuwaiti law does not let women marry a partner of their choice if their father will not grant permission.

In May, the Kuwaiti authorities announced that Saudi Arabian women would not be provided with drivers' licenses while in Kuwait without the permission of their male guardians; women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.

Time for UK to look within:

Looking at the manner in which several from the UK have shown interest in the rape statistics in India while ignoring their own makes one wonder who exactly has the colonial hangover.

The rape statistics in the UK are nothing to be proud about and there is a lot that they have to do to provide better security for the women over there.

Rapes and discrimination against women are not to be always spoken about in the Indian context.

There may be arguments over whether the ban on the documentary was right or wrong. While that is one aspect to this entire episode is that such statements by Mukesh Singh being played out has given fodder to many in the West to speak about the rights and safety of women in India while ignoring their own issues.