The recent molestation in Mumbai of two women by the mob invokes the same familiar
response I experience every time the media reports such cases — a groan and a sinking
feeling in the pit of the stomach, and a sense of helpless rage. It also reminds me of a
gory incident that happened several decades ago in Delhi when I was a teenager.
A group of women, including several foreign women, were abused and raped at Kutb Minar
when a sudden power failure left them stranded in its long winding dark stairs.  

Whenever such atrocities occur, the collective consciousness of the society rises just
one tad bit. The subsequent uproar routinely brings forth chauvinistic and callous responses
from officials and twisted theories on mob psychology or on suppressed instincts from social psychologists.  Popular media dishes out shocking details, but no concrete solution ever
emerges. 

The most outrageous and the most common justification for the crime offered by many
law enforcement officials and sometimes even the general public is ‘the women asked
for it’ by dressing ‘immodestly’. Think about it: Would they have been safe if they
had worn a burkha? Certainly not.  

It’s all in the mind – the association between appearance and the stimulation or
provocation. And what was considered provocative and tabooed yesterday becomes
today’s norm. It’s unrealistic to expect women to continue dressing in the traditional
way in today’s globalized world, where working conditions and dress norms are
changing fast. 

Stop saying men will be men and women have to “behave like women”. It’s not as
though men are programmed to behave in vile ways and are saved from doing so only
when women behaved Sita-like. Stop blaming “primeval and suppressed instincts” of the
mob for the havoc caused. We are stronger than our instincts, or else how would we
have created civilization? What distinguishes human beings from other species is precisely
that we are capable of conscious intent and action.  

A crowded place offers the perpetrators of crime anonymity and immunity from being
apprehended and punished, bringing out their primeval instincts — aggression and conquest
of the weak. Gelegenheit macht Diebe – a German saying that means ‘opportunity creates
thieves’. Even a confirmed thief will not steal if he has no chance of getting away with it,
and an honest man may misbehave if he has the opportunity and the power to do so.  

So, what is the solution? Here are some tips for women:

• Avoid wilful or foolhardy confrontation.

• Stop being soft targets. Steel your mind and be your own defence. Carry chilli or pepper sprays in your hand bags for self protection. Take time to join self defence classes. A hare that stops on the track and confronts the wolf may still survive.

• Fight for justice whenever you face sexual abuse, however minor. Form support groups.

• As a parent, do not advise your daughter against reporting sexual abuse. Do not bow to societal pressures. I know it is easier said than done, but every time you let go an offender, you are assuring them they can get away with anything. This can cause the crime against women to go spiralling up.