No Discrimination – Building an Enhanced Nation
The essay - "No Discrimination – Building an Enhanced Nation"
Any
person can become a victim to sexual and gender-based violence – women, men,
girls and boys of any age and of any environment. Now it is time to
differentiate ‘sex’ and ‘gender’. ‘Sex’ refers to biological characteristics of
being ‘male’ or ‘female’, while ‘gender’ denotes social characteristics attributed
to ‘men’ and ‘women’.
It
is a psychological fact that violence is a manifestation of extreme indignation
or utmost rage. Where does this ire come from? If a thorough self-analysis is
conducted, it is discernible that there is envy at the back of fury, and there
is pride at the back of jealousy. For example, suppose that I possess within me
an utmost narcissism that I am the best of all. This erroneous belief will lead
me to feeling jealous of some other person whoever can challenge my monopoly.
Resulting in, I will naturally feel indignant with my challenger who creates
within me a kind of insecurity and inferiority-complex. This devilish rage will
make me commit some kind of violence. Broadly speaking, this violence may
become sexual or gender-based as and when the challenge is between two opposite
sexes. However, most of the times, utmost lust mingled with anger cause sexual
and gender-based violence like “Tarquin’s ravishing strides” [Act II, Scene I, Macbeth].
So, what is the source of such heinous
lust? It is the discrimination between the two genders again. Hence,
discrimination is the principal reason behind such monstrous deeds such as rape,
gang-rape, and slaughter and so on. Thus, physical, sexual and psychological
violence occur in the family at the outset. These include rough treatment,
beating, sexual abuse of female children in the household, dowry-related
violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation, trafficking in women and
forced prostitution, other practices harmful to women, and non-spousal violence
and so on.
Sexual and gender-based violence can
be categorised into five classes: sexual violence, physical violence, emotional
and psychological violence, hurtful traditional practices and socioeconomic
violence. The first category includes rape and marital rape, child sexual abuse
and incest, anal rape, sexual exploitation, forced prostitution etc. The second
type includes physical attack, trafficking, and so on. The third sort includes abuse
and confinement. The fourth of these includes female genital mutilation, early
marriage, forced marriage, honour killing, infanticide, denial of educating
girls and women. The last kind includes discrimination, exclusion and
obstructive legislative practices. All these happen because of our first and
foremost offence in discriminating between men and women.
Because of such discrimination
between men and women, many of us have to be victimised to sexual and
gender-based violence. In many cases, the elders of the household arrange for
the marriage of their little girls or boys against their will. This early
marriage becomes a reason of such violence. In this context, we may here quote
a few lines from Kamala Das’s An
Introduction – “......I was child, and later they / Told me I grew, for I
became tall, my limbs / Swelled and one or two places sprouted hair. / When I
asked for love, not knowing what else to ask / For, he drew a youth of sixteen
into the / Bedroom and closed the door. He did not beat me / But my sad
woman-body felt so beaten. / The weight of my breasts and womb crushed me. / I
shrank pitifully.”
So
far the principal reason behind sexual and gender-based violence –
discrimination – has been discussed. Hence, it is time to throw light upon the
other factors such as male chauvinism, religious practices, patriarchal
construction of the society, centre-margin-conflict, marginalisation of a
particular sex or gender, lack of neutralisation of language and so forth.
First,
male chauvinism, that is, the dogmatic belief that men are superior to women in
terms of competence, intellect and so on, is a striking reason responsible for gender-based
violence. In this context, we may cite the example of the noteworthy Duke of
Ferrara from My Last Duchess by
Robert Browning. The Duke spoke to the silent listener in his monologue –
“That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall, / Looking as if she were alive.”
The felony, according to him, on part of the Duchess was that she was “too soon
made glad” instead of maintaining the aristocratic status. Then the arrogant
Duke proceeded – “……This grew; I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped
together.” It is indeed abominable and thought-provoking how the Duke ends his
monologue – “……Notice Neptune, though, / Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity,
/ Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!” The Duke means that if his
new Duchess behaves like the old one, he, like Neptune, the sea-god, will
murder another new Duchess of his. There are millions of such Dukes who use to
slaughter their innocent wives even now, if a single command from the male
chauvinistic husband is disobeyed by his wife, a so-called woman.
Second,
religious practices provide another opportunity to the society to oppress and
suppress the women of the society. For example, the female genital mutilation
in the African and the Muslim countries is indeed harmful to women’s physical
and emotional health all through their lives. Actually, it has no beneficial side
at all. This kind of circumcision has a couple of kinds of complications –
short-term and late, depending upon the type of mutilation. The practitioners
may have medical training; they may use antibiotics and they may use sterilised
or single-use surgical instruments. Apart from that, the triple talaq system is
genuinely derogatory for all Muslim women. Why should the Ranaghat case of
nun-rape not be recalled in this context?
Third,
the reason of the patriarchal construction of the society should not be
overlooked. In this perspective, an echo of protest against the male-centric
society can be heard from Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, where the author ricochets to
Bishop Talleyrand of France that women as well as men like him should be
educated properly. Needless to mention, Wollstonecraft’s work is in part, at
least, a reaction to Rousseau’s Emile
and Wordsworth’s The Prelude. Both
the works are associated with the education of men while A Vindication of the Rights of Women is a book encapsulating the education
of women. Actually, the women since the then time have been marginalised by the
men in the society. Most irrationally, there is a section of women who harm
their own gender by stigmatising the helplessly raped women as “blemished”, “scornful”
and “spoilt”. Hence, each and every woman should be educated properly and be
made conscious and conscientious simultaneously. Even now-a-days, such satanic
activities are carried out by the perverted men in our country, or should we
say, in the entire world.
Fourth,
the centre-margin-conflict is one of the most significant reasons behind sexual
and gender-based violence. Women are marginalised while men are centralised;
this discrimination evidently raises the conflict between the margin and the
centre. Such feud or conflict is noticeable in all grounds of our society. Be
it educational, be it cultural, be it political, be it economical, be it
religious, or be it professional – bad blood is perceptible in all domains of
the social arena. Obviously, this is an outcome of social discrimination. It is
called hegemony.
From
an early age, we are edified with the lesson – “Charity begins at home.” Here we must emphatically pronounce the fact
that cultural politics or hegemony commences at home as well. Broadly speaking,
sexual and gender-based violence is included in the hegemony. We may find a
great number of wife-beaters in the nation, in the society, and in our own
houses. Does this not resonate of the patriarchal domination of Jiten and Nitin
Trivedi, the two sons of Baa, in Mahesh Dattani’s play Bravely Fought the Queen? In this drama, we come across the imagery
of a bonsai, which is symbolic also, referring to the suppression of the development
of Dolly, Alka and Lalitha by their respective husbands. Here the reference to
Daksha must be mentioned. Dolly, Daksha’s mother, was kicked on her womb by her
husband during the period of her pregnancy. Consequently, Daksha, the little
girl, was mentally retarded. Why? This is because of her father’s torment on
her mother before her birth.
Such
kicking on the wombs by the patriarchal men is almost a common scenario even in
today’s India. It is a matter of ridicule and shame that we hoist flags to
revere our motherland, India, compared to a woman figure, on particular dates,
but at the same time, our men persecute their wives in the family. When we
clamour to have a free and an independent country, it is unjust to curb women’s
freedom like trimming a bonsai on part of the men, for if freedom is bestowed
to a particular gender of the society, the overall growth and development of
the nation will be stunted, and it cannot be named freedom at all. Hence, acts
of sexual and gender-based violence are rampant in our country.
Fifth,
a particular sex in our society is marginalised always. Needless to mention, the
ideas of marginalisation and centralisation will linger until the death of this
earth. Practically speaking, “the two contrary states of human soul” must exist
and will exist, as William Blake observed. This gives rise to sexual and
gender-based violence, because, as and when power is limited to a certain sex,
these acts will take place.
Sixth,
the language is not yet neutralised in the world. That is to say, a woman has
to call herself a ‘woman’, in spite of the fact that both the sexes are
individuals. Hence, the question of sexual discrimination is pointless. Mahasweta
Devi once observed that the women of the society are the most hapless persons,
since they do not have their own language as well. That is, the language is
also male-centric or patriarchal by nature and in character. For example, when
we utter the Bengali word abalā, the
very word refers to a society-created woman. Why, then, do such words like abalā etc. not have its masculine counterpart?
Apart
from that, it is a matter of pungent ridicule and pity as and when the
so-called women of the society have to write their husbands’ names as their
guardians after their marriage. Why do the men, then, not have to write their wives’
names as their guardians? Is this equality?
We
raise a hue and cry for liberty, equality and fraternity, we clamour for democracy,
but how is it that we still keep on maintaining the discrimination between
genders, between the men and the women?
Women
in the society are sometimes educated to be eligible for a companionate marriage.
They usually do not have free access to all domains. In the past, this used to
occur blatantly. However, it is not correct to blame the men at all times. Many
times, one woman becomes the antagonist to another woman.
Hence,
what is required is the ‘New Woman’ like Clara Okeke in No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe. However, this ‘New Woman’ will
have both the optimistic as well as the pessimistic sides, since “Without
contraries is no progression” as William Blake used to opine. Broadly speaking,
Miss Elsie Mark, who offers her body, is the negative aspect of the ‘New Woman’
in contrast to Clara being the positive side of the same in the novel by
Achebe. Just as there are both light and darkness, both day and night, there
must be both the good and the evil aspects of anything. Life is neither black
nor white; its hue is rather grey, a mixture of both black and white. This
advent of ‘New Woman’ refers to the feminist movements.
In
the 1960s, feminist movement came into existence in an organised form having fixed
principles and doctrines. Then divorce, abortion and usage of
birth-control-pills were legalised.
The
legalisation of divorce, abortion and birth-control-pills showered over women
as boons indeed. However, the boons are turned into banes as and when a certain
section of the women in society misuses these advantages. As a result of this,
the male will be marginalised one day, while the women will occupy the central position
in the social structure. Again, there will be discrimination. Again, there will
be the conflict between the centre and the margin.
Is
there any remedy of the violence based on sex and gender? Certainly there are
many of them. First and foremost, all the human beings must be educated
properly stating that they are individuals, not men or women. The idea of John
Locke, the great philosopher, may be recalled in this context that all
individuals are born free, and it is knowledge which provides liberty or
complete freedom to all persons of the society, to all people of the nation and
of the world.
This
knowledge is based on rationality and reason. If these two abstract ideas,
namely, knowledge and reason become the two pillars of our mindset, the society
can behold a brand new dawn. For its implementation, our conscience must be awakened
by self-analysis; our knowledge must be perpetuated by logic, and our
consciousness must be raised by ourselves. This is so because until and unless
we ourselves become aware how to get trained and how to train, we cannot resist
such violent acts based on sex and gender.
In
order to bring these into reality, we must learn how to respect individuals, how
to cooperate with other human beings, and how to love mankind. Our good self is
buried deep within us. What we need to do is to dig it out.
Apart
from raising self-consciousness, we must cease to discriminate among human
beings. Strict laws may be enforced to punish the offenders, but can this slay
the bestial instincts within us? Of course, laws are to be made, and of course,
laws will be broken as well.
Then
what is to be done? Should we organise seminars and deliver series of lectures
and lectures? This can be done to some extent. Still, before doing so, we each need
to ask ourselves, “Am I human or am I bestial?” Until and unless we mitigate
our lust, pride, envy and fury, every attempt will prove to be futile and
fatuous. These vices cannot be abolished, but these can be controlled.
Self-control
is the best remedy that can change the nation, or should we say, the world.
Even though we endeavour to curb all the possible factors responsible for such
violent acts based on sex and gender, like male chauvinism, religious
prejudices, patriarchal construction of the society, centre-margin-conflict, lack
of neutralisation of language, and so on and so forth, we will not completely
be successful to oust such heinous crimes from the nation and from the world.
The possible way-outs, hence, are self-enlightenment, self-analysis, self-atonement
and self-rectification.
Therefore,
education must be spread to all the people of the country, and to every person
of the world so that every one of us may have the will force and capacity to be
illuminated from within. Moreover, the act of discriminating between people
must be put to an end. Besides, people must initiate prevention and response
programmes on sexual and gender-based violence as an emergency. In this case, we
must never forget to include men and boys in the programmes. Moreover, we have
to keep aside all the cultural and traditional prejudices. Women’s
participation and leadership in political sectors like justice, security, and
economic recovery must be increased at the same time. In addition, proper services
in medical, psycho-social, legal, and economic fields must be provided to the
survivors of such violence. Also, we should mobilise men to advocate against the
prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence. Only then, we will be competent
to behold a new sunrise, to behold a new morning, to behold a new day. It will
give birth to an enhanced nation, an impeccably peaceful world for ushering in
a better tomorrow, for welcoming a new era of hope, peace, harmony, and what
not. The life will then be suffused with richness, understanding and positivity
bidding farewell to sexual and gender-based violence and paving the way to
prosperity and divine bliss. It will become a heaven on earth.
The Keywords
Essay, discrimination, building, enhanced, nation, individuals, human beings, organisers, centre-margin-conflict, discriminating, men and women, parochially patriarchal society, oblivious, actual identity, consequently, sexual and gender-based violence, performed, person's will, gender norms, unequal power relationships, victim, age, environment, girls, boys, differentiate sex and gender, biological characteristics, male and female, social characteristics, attributed, psychological fact, violence, manifestation of extreme indignation or utmost rage, ire, self-analysis, conducted, discernible, envy, fury, pride, jealousy, narcissism, erroneous belief, challenge my monopoly, challenger, a kind of insecurity, inferiority complex, two opposite sexes, “Tarquin’s ravishing strides”, Macbeth, heinous lust, principal reason, rape, gang-rape, slaughter, physical, sexual and psychological violence, rough treatment, beating, sexual abuse of female children in the household, dowry-related violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation, trafficking in women and forced prostitution, other practices harmful to women, and non-spousal violence, sexual violence, physical violence, emotional and psychological violence, hurtful traditional practices and socioeconomic violence, rape and marital rape, child sexual abuse and incest, anal rape, sexual exploitation, forced prostitution, physical attack, trafficking, abuse and confinement, female genital mutilation, early marriage, forced marriage, honour killing, infanticide, denial of educating girls and women, discrimination, exclusion and obstructive legislative practices, Kamala Das’s An Introduction – “......I was child, and later they / Told me I grew, for I became tall, my limbs / Swelled and one or two places sprouted hair. / When I asked for love, not knowing what else to ask / For, he drew a youth of sixteen into the / Bedroom and closed the door. He did not beat me / But my sad woman-body felt so beaten. / The weight of my breasts and womb crushed me. / I shrank pitifully.”, male chauvinism, religious practices, patriarchal construction of the society, centre-margin-conflict, marginalisation of a particular sex or gender, lack of neutralisation of language, dogmatic belief, noteworthy Duke of Ferrara from My Last Duchess by Robert Browning, That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall, / Looking as if she were alive, felony, too soon made glad, This grew; I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together, abominable and thought-provoking, monologue, Notice Neptune, though, / Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity, / Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!, female genital mutilation in the African and the Muslim countries, Ranaghat case of nun-rape, Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Bishop Talleyrand of France, triple talaq system, Rousseau’s Emile and Wordsworth’s The Prelude, blemished, scornful, spoilt, satanic, marginalised, centralised, bad blood, hegemony, Charity begins at home, wife-beaters, patriarchal domination of Jiten and Nitin Trivedi, the two sons of Baa, in Mahesh Dattani’s play Bravely Fought the Queen, Dolly, Alka and Lalitha, Daksha, India, a woman figure, trimming a bonsai, “the two contrary states of human soul”, William Blake, Mahasweta Devi, ‘New Woman’ like Clara Okeke in No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe, “Without contraries is no progression”, Miss Elsie Mark, 1960s, feminist movement, neutralisation of language, self-enlightenment, self-analysis, self-atonement and self-rectification
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