The callous statements from the Dhaula Kuan rape accused person’s family and villagers that “the girl should never have taken up a job which requires her to work late. What happened was abominable, but she was the one who asked for trouble”, has not gone down well with working professionals in the capital.
How fair is it to blame working women, who work the graveyard shift not out of choice but perhaps need? When an untoward incident happens, why must the fault lie with a woman alone? What about the faulty law and order machinery of the city?
Says Taruna Singh, communication consultant, “Girls working late nights are doing jobs that require them to be working at that hour, and therefore they can’t be blamed for being raped. Which girl in her right mind would try to bring something like rape upon her? The law and order machinery is most definitely rusted. Many people get away with rape by going behind bars for a while. The punishment for rape should be such that people think twice before engaging in the act. Women who work late must also be careful. Get picked up dropped in front of your house and call somebody to pick you up in case it gets late.”
The fault lies with the mindset of people. They are to be blamed not the girl. Upasna Lall, marketing and communications manager in a firm remarks, “My sister works late night shifts to excel in the field she is in. She is required to be directly interacting with clients in the US. Now with MNCs and big companies opening offices in India, client interactions happen at night because of the time zone difference. How does working at this hour mean that someone has exposed themselves to dangerous behaviour? It’s like going back two generations when a girl going out to work was not considered good.”
Agrees fashion adviser, Vibha Kundra who adds that night shifts happen all over the world not only in India. “Recently, our CM also acknowledged that the Delhi Government will take up the issue of setting up special courts to deal with rape cases in the Delhi High Court. This would certainly help speed up justice for rape victims. Rape accused should be given strict punishment,” she adds.