Rights of the vulnerable… and what we can do #RapeCulture #Equality

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So the Indian government announced in January that they’re creating a wrist watch that can alert local authorities of a distressful situation and send the coordinates so they can intervene.

This is the wrist watch to change everything.

While this system reminds me A LOT of the Life Alert necklaces they recommend senior citizens get…

This chick classy lady knows what’s up…

I’ll play Devil’s Advocate for a second (and please don’t judge me for these scenarios). What happens if:

  • The battery runs out?
  • The assholes criminals smash the watch?
  • Detach the watch from the victim and take him or her away from the place where the watch is?
  • The assholes criminals choose to murder the victim then and there as a result of discovering the watch?
  • The watch sends the wrong information?
  • The watch doesn’t work?
  • The watch is accidentally activated?

And in terms of the outside environment (not necessarily related to the watch itself):

  • The police take their sweet time responding to the distress call (which, I’ve heard happens a lot in India… there is so much corruption over there 😦 )
  • The asshole person engaging in criminal acts is related to the victim
  • What about the stress it will place upon the existing police department? WIll they hire more people to deal specifically with these issues? Will there be, essentially, an SVU for each police force in India? Do they even HAVE enough people who want to become police officers?
  • What happens if the criminals target this person’s family members as a result?

Now these are a lot of questions. And most of them are legitimate. But I only ask them because I am scared for these people. Especially after the horrible attacks against the New Delhi Medical School student. The beat the shit out of her boyfriend and essentially raped her to death. This sickening behavior will definitely not change with just a watch. But hopefully it will deter people from engaging in these immoral acts.

I was talking with my sister about these incidents in late January, after they started to gain traction in the media, and we both agreed that the way women are portrayed and treated in cities and villages in India is unacceptable. As a Sikh, we are taught to treat ALL people with the same dignity that we expect. Women are never treated as second-class citizens; they can even serve as priests at our Gurdwaras (churches, temples, synagogues, mosques — our place of worship). When I hear of women not being able to live as freely as they should be able to live, I start to see issues. While I may not like it when my girlfriends wear skimpy clothes, it is THEIR choice to do so, not mine. I, as another human being, cannot exert control over another person unless they are willing. If I choose to go out to a bar and act a fool with my friends, it is MY choice to do so, not anyone else’s. And this is where I believe all those people who see something but don’t say anything come in — they feel that if they don’t say anything about some injustice occurring in front of them that it is okay. It is NEVER okay for someone else to suffer in any manner for their ideals or because of some physical characteristic. Okay, I’ll get off of my soapbox now.

You know it’s true… My mama did teach me better than that!

Either way, this watch, to me, seems like a temporary fix. It’s like putting a little bandage on a huge stab wound — it will do nothing to fix the issue at hand. What India (and a lot of other countries — including the US) needs to do is start behavior-altering campaigns that will encourage people to become more productive citizens. Rape culture has been a part of the “woman’s tale” for so long in Indian culture… Hell, there are so many Bollywood films that deal with the issue: Lajja, Bees Saal Baad, Karz, Devdas, and more.

Do you think this watch will help alleviate some of the sexual violence going on around the world? Comment below.

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