Aparna Gupta & Chandrika Dutta
Amity Law School Delhi
Introduction:
“A clear conscience laughs at a false accusation”
Since the beginning of civilization, the world has been a playground for men with the women reduced to mere spectators who can only cheer or weep-as the occasion demands. The world has been ruled by men for far too long and continues to be a prey to the patriarchal society we all live in. Women have been the victims of violence all through the ages, in all societies, cultures, regions or religious communities in the world. It is indeed ironic that in India which has given rise to apostles of peace and non-violence, women have to bear the brunt of violence, be it domestic or public. Clear differentiation is seen on the part of society to make them meek and docile. Thus, violence against them came to have societal sanctions.
However, there are always two sides of the same coin, and we as a society fail to perceive that the doers of ferocity can be unvoiced victims too. The plethora of laws protecting the weaker section of the society is being misused in indefinable manner which get shielded under the veil of ‘revenge’ and ‘feminism’. Feminism means the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. This term has been highly misinterpreted by the strong adherents of feminism who fight for their equal rights as men. The misuse has been unearthed through ways such as #metoo, social media propagation, etc. The unfair advantage has been taken up by women who falsely accuse the innocent men of molesting them and questioning their modesty which was once compared to the idols of the century. As a result, India has become the hub of false accusations of violence being done by men towards the women of our society.
Unveiling the Truth:
The men grappled with domestic violence lay hidden in the labyrinth of myths of the society. The assault done against the women warrants all the attention, with men’s assault taking the back seat. The disbelief of men not being victimized at the hands of society puts the males under an obligation to suffer in silence and accept the bleak reality. The laxity in the validation of men being the victims of harassment, violence, rape is not only done by the surroundings alone but also by the legislature of our own country. The paramount pillar neglects and fails to consider the cruelty done to the individual.
The gravity of gender-neutral laws in many spheres stands unaccepted by the legislature. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare along with the International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai in collaboration with various field organizations conducts the National Family Health Survey at the national and state levels. It has been conducted four times starting from the year 1992-93 followed by 1998-99, 2005-06, and 2015-16. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) conducted in the year 2005-06, it was shown that 1% of married women report initiative of violence done towards the husband and 0.4% of those women initiated violence 12 months (1 year) prior to the conduction of the survey. The National Family Health Survey was again conducted in the year 2015-16 (NFHS-4) and the percentile of women initiating violence towards their husbands now stands to be at 4% and 3% reported that they initiated violence 12 months (1 year) prior to the conduction of the survey.
The paradigm shift on the percentile of violence conducted shows that if the silence prevails then justice gets more delayed to the already suffering men of our society. The violence conducted not only proves problematic mentally but also socially for them. According to an article published in the Journal of Psychosocial Health, false cases are also a kind of harassment done towards the men which can be traumatizing, affecting the mental health of an individual.
Impact on the Unuttered Souls:
The violence inflicted on an individual can have a rippling effect which tears through the fabric of their lives. The victims falsely accused are trapped in the cage of proving themselves innocent. The allegations alleviate the psychological stress on the man which consequently destroys their life by bringing a downfall in their businesses and the career set apart. Unfortunately, these outcomes leave an indelible impact on their minds which takes time to reinstate and furbish it.
The humiliation and the disparagement of the victims impede them to press charges against the accused or even talk about it. The thought of being mocked at the hands of society poses another traumatic thought. The paradigm shift in their lifestyle post the violence causes a barrier in their holistic development. Lower self-esteem, shameful stares, psychological stress, prolonged depression, and spiteful glares; self-blame turns the victim’s vibrant life into lusterless breathing. Post the domestic violence trauma, the victim desists to railroad into the normal life. The aftermath of gruesome acts inflicted poses the biggest threat to one’s life, inviting suicidal thoughts to end the misery. Cruelty is blameworthy for the gloomy transformation of an individual.
The Way Forward:
The disregarded affair of men being subjected to menace leaves a myriad of questions to be answered. The prevention of this sprouting act will not stop with the formulation of legislation, the establishment of psychological help centers or even providing punishment to the wrongdoers. The root cause lies within their validity and effectiveness to combat the core issue. Mere acceptance of the grim reality by the lawmakers does not make the victims socially acceptable nor are they able to muster the courage to live with the brutality inflicted upon them. Amazement strikes in an individual when the society’s inability to accept or even ponder upon the fact of males being harassed or raped by the hands of their intimate partners is showcased. The brisk acceptance of female victim’s misery calls for rapid implementation of the gender-neutral laws. Perhaps, the demand for gender-neutral laws has been made innumerable times through the voice of human rights activists, but our affirmation poses the biggest obstacle in its functioning. Females are misusing these laws, by filing false cases against the innocent males which turns them to silent victims. When consideration of violence, rape, and harassment imposed upon the females is termed as a burden to the society, the magnitude of the unspoken issue of men seems a distant dream for our country. Ergo, this is the substantial reason of men hiding their pain and creating a void in their lives. The gender stereotype developed by the society and legislature will have to soon accept the status of men as the violence bearers. This step will aid the men to finally stand up against the violence.
REFERENCES:
http://rchiips.org/NFHS/NFHS-3%20Data/VOL-1/India_volume_I_corrected_17oct08.pdf
http://rchiips.org/NFHS/NFHS-4Reports/India.pdf
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2631831819894176#bibr2-2631831819894176
