[Reader-list] campaigning against death penalty

Fri Aug 20 21:33:42 IST 2004

Nisha,
I fully agree with you that there should be more discussion on this,and it
is not as simple as black and white. 
But there is something that  we must make distinctions about and separate -
for eg. the debate for and against death penalty should not be linked to the
tolerance or intolerance of sexual violence against women. If someone is
against death penalty for the rapist it should not be construed as fostering
male chauvinism of the worst type as you say- 
"We also told that if you can't do that then stay at home (as if that is a
safe place) and kept safe from threats ranging from a load flesh coming on
your screen in the next door cyber café to pinching, flashing and verbal
sexal assault on the road, in the shops and at public place store. "
If such a message is sent out, it is unfortunate.How the seriousness of the
crime manifests itself into the seriousness of the punishment, is an issue
to be examined.
Someone earlier posted that if death penalty becomes the norm in such cases,
more people might be let off without any punishment. so, the debate can have
other angles as well.

Furthermore, this is my personal opinion and I would like to examine it by
posting it here, that the heinousness of sexual violence is actually a
double whammy against women.Every culture, not just eastern and third world,
but western and developed countries too, somehow  treat rape as something
which is demeaning to the victim herself.There are hoards of examples in our
culture. For example - I can rememeber countless scenes from hindi movies
when the woman after being raped..says..
"Ab to mai kisi ko muh dikhane ke kabil nahi rahi.." and goes to commit
suicide or something.Or another-the term "izzat lootna " 
How can somebody loot somebody's izzat? If a man is raping a woman, is he
surrendering his own izzat or looting hers? Why we tolerate and use such
language? 
I wonder how it came to be this way.Sometimes I feel this is like a big
conspiracy which generations of men have perpetrated against women, and we
are so steeped in 
this nonsense that we make it true by believing in it. We are actually
making the crime more heinous by believing that it is heinous.I think that
the after the victim is raped, besides the obvious physical trauma of rape,
she also has to undergo pity of the bechari rape victim and stuff like that.
Its not like a car hit you when you are crossing the road and you report the
driver to the police.The pity for a rape victim is like "iski to life barbad
ho gayi.." and not like "iska haath toot gaya" or something.
Again,besides the cultural component, there is one more component of the
stupidity against rape victims- male chauvinism .some males feel that if a
girl wears "provocative" clothes,she is a party to the crime and she invites
rape, which is comeple BS according to me.I wonder what they would feel if
they were raped by girls for wearing some tight jeans or stuff like that.So,
in campaigning against sexual violence, if we work against the attitudes
pertaining to it, so that-
a) The victim does not get patronizing ,demeaning and idiotic sympathy and
ostracization.
b) Her case is judged farily and the blame  not  apportioned to her for not
confirming to some stupid parochial norms ..
he  ostracizing of victims and the shame they might possibly
feel(ironically) for being a victim might possibly change.That might lead to
more and more rape cases being reported and rapsits being punished.

Thanks and regards
Rahul

-----Original Message-----
From: reader-list-bounces at sarai.net [mailto:reader-list-bounces at sarai.net]On
Behalf Of nisha -
Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 10:13 AM
To: reader-list at sarai.net
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] campaigning against death penalty

Looking at Chatterjee case, I'm amazed that how easy it is to ignore the
political implications of sexual violence. Issues around rape and sexual
abuse of various types have caused deep divisions in both anti-violence
against women campaigners and human rights campaigners. And it has
definitely put those like me who believe in the right to life as well as
justice. 

The dilemma arises from being thrown in a situation where one is supposed to
declare either for or against stand in a death penalty case. It doesn't
matter if majority of those who are campaigning against death penalty do not
see sexual violence (leave alone physical violence) as grave enough to
deserve a more serious thought than 'poor man he has already served 14 years
in jail' or 'so and so did it, he wasn't given a death penalty'. It doesn't
matter if you feel that criminal jusrisprudence must work out a way in which
concerns of women's and girls' physical and bodily integrity and safety are
given the consideration they deserve. It doesn't matter if you would like to
hear a deabte about what kind of laws could make the perpetrator take full
responsibility for an act of sexual violence without taking away his life.
You are just supposed to take a for or against position in a typical Bush
style.

The rampantness of sexual violence is acknowledged in so far that its
existence is not being denied and work against issues of rape and sexual
abuse is considered necessary if not as vital as other social issues. But
when it comes to punishing the perpetrators, the message we get is don't
make the poor man such a monster. And instead of a debate on legal and
public responsibility we are told it is a matter of real life, it just there
so learn survival skills and develop the strength to cope with it. We also
told that if you can't do that then stay at home (as if that is a safe
place) and kept safe from threats ranging from a load flesh coming on your
screen in the next door cyber café to pinching, flashing and verbal sexal
assault on the road, in the shops and at public place store. 

It fills me with so much of anger when I think of all the women and girls
who are being assualted every second and killed so often and see scant
thought going to their right to life and sexual rights. What kind of a
campaigning for right to life is this death penaly row, if it is not even
willing to see the other side of the violence?

Nisha

vishwajyoti ghosh <ghoshvishwajyoti at rediffmail.com> wrote: 

"In my next life, I want to be born as a rich man..."
-Dhanonjoy Chatterjee
For those of us who feel rapists should be dealt with an extra firm hand...I
agree, But will I see:
Sanjeev Nanda
Salman Khan
Sushil Sharma
D.P Yadav & his sons 
(to name only a few) 
and all the regular rapists of Delhi and adjoining areas walking to the
gallows???
As a nation, we might have to answer many such cases within ourselves, for
times to come. Till then Chatterjee's words wish will continue to be a
proven fact, and not a mere wish...
Happy Independence Day guys!

On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 Sourav wrote :
>Regarding the death sentenced, I agree, blood against blood is not a
>solution, also we will be killer like him if we hang him. But I don't know
>where to appeal and president's emails address, please guide us and we will
>send the signatures and mails against hanging.
>
>Sourav.
>
>West Bengal.
>
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