Looking back at the 52 weeks challenge that I put to myself, to click pictures and post one each week, I observed this predominant presence of yellow color as the Central theme in many pictures. Compiling them into an album here.
Finally, adding some pictures from the past couple of years that belong here…
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Picture Courtesy : Alankrita Singh
The Female Labour Force Participation (FLFP) has been consistently declining in India in the past 3 decades despite the nation being on a growth trajectory in this duration. This has attracted a lot of international attention and studies have attempted to decipher the reasons behind this phenomenon.
Apart from social structural inequalities in the Indian society, lack of basic infrastructure like safe…last-mile public transport options and safe and accessible public spaces are being considered important reasons for the same. (14)
According to ‘Safe Cities Global Initiative’ of the UN Women (5), Sexual Harassment in Public Spaces is an under recognised global pandemic. To quote from their report, “In New Delhi, a baseline study conducted in 2012 reveals that 92 per cent of women experienced some form of sexual violence in public spaces in their lifetime, and 88 per cent of women experienced some form of visual and verbal sexual harassment (unwelcome comments of a sexual nature, whistling, leering or making obscene gestures) in their lifetime.”
Roads (50%) and Public Transport (39%) are listed as most unsafe Public Spaces, which are followed by markets (22%) and spaces where women wait for public transport (12%). Factors contributing to the lack of safety include lighting on the streets, poorly maintained, non-existent pavements, and poorly designed men‘s urinals. (17)
“Safety, or the lack of it, has concrete consequences on the lives of people. For instance…harassment of girls in their neighbourhoods, on the way to the school, and in buses leads to their dropping out of school…curtail(ing) the movement of women in the city, their work and their education – their complete participation in city life [Andrew 2000; Moser 2004; Whitzman 2002b].” (3)
From my own personal experiences, one of them penned down in testimonial-1, I can say that actual experiences of sexual harassment are on one hand and on the other is the perpetual fear of harassment lurking in your mind. Secondly it is difficult to report these instances as there is fear of victim shaming and there are no easily accessible mechanisms for reporting.
Whether the Police Organisation would prioritise the safety and security of women; to unleash their economic, social and political potential; to enable them to be a part of the urban growth story of India, is a Strategic Leadership Question before the Police Organisation. Technology is predictably a key tool to bring about a transformation.
LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY
To address sexual harassment of women and girls in public spaces in cities, I am proposing two specific solutions that leverage available technology and hold potential for empowering women in their own safety. From the perspective of Police, the first solution is in the realm of prevention and the second in redressal processes.
It is important to understand that technology is merely a means. Desired ends can be achieved only through organisational commitment to them. Targeting deep seated attitudes, as reflected in the news, would require the Leadership and Change Management.
I. Paradigm shift from Reactive Approach to Proactive Approach:
The 2012 Gang Rape in Delhi served to highlight the fact that Police response to sexual violence in cities has remained confined to being reactive rather than pro-active.
Proactive tackling of sexual violence on streets is a complex issue requiring longterm and sustained engagement with multiple stakeholders particularly the women navigating a city.
However, there have been some efforts in different states like the 1090 Power Angels of Uttar Pradesh (18), the She-Teams of Andhra Pradesh (19) Scooter Patrols by Women Police Officers of Jaipur (20), just to name a few. But these have rather been city specific, piecemeal and have had the limitation of being officer or personality centric. Some other attempts like ‘Anti-Romeo Squads’ have even been questioned for their methods, intent and legality (21).
With increasing access to internet and mobile phones certain mobile app based safety solutions have emerged in specific cities in India. The most prominent examples are Safetipin and Safecity with their comprehensive presence in New Delhi. Though, MHA, some state governments and certain Police Commissionerates have also launched safety apps for women with an emergency alarm linked to the nearest Police Control Room.
Safetipin uses map and crowdsourced data to provide services like ‘safety ratings’, ‘safe routes’, unsafe ‘red spots’ and ‘track my route’. Their safety rating is an aggregation of certain indicators like lighting, visibility, people density, gender diversity, security and transportation and the information in this regard is provided by the app users.
Safecity provides a platform for sharing testimonials, instances of sexual abuse and blogs for exchange of ideas on the subject. Safecity also uses heat maps to pinpoint unsafe locations, but it is not limited to the online mode. There have been attempts to partner with local stakeholders and find locally relevant solutions. Solutions could be simple like painting a wall with graphics carrying subtle messages of women empowerment or pursuing with the authorities for placement of CCTVs or street lights. They also conduct awareness generation activities in unsafe hotspots.
These developments present a unique opportunity for the Police to bring about a paradigm shift from Reactive Approach to Proactive Approach. I propose a model for collaboration between the private players and the Police, utilising the strength of each.
First, the dynamic crowdsourced data being compiled by the apps is a definite strength of the private players. Using advanced analytics, Police can get valuable inputs regarding nature, broad trends, patterns, MO, spatial and temporal spread of offences against women and children. This can augment and corroborate Police’s own data sources like their PCRs and CCTNS. And this source produces data specific to sexual harassment in public places contributed by the concerned women.
Police, utilising their expertise in crime prevention and redressal can effectively utilise the above information for Decision Making. Placement of CCTVs and Street lights; where should patrolling be intensified and at what time of the day; where to provide the last mile connectivity; how to incorporate ‘Eyes on the street’, all can be done more scientifically and based on evidence.
Transposing the same on the Police Control Room data, Police can also identify the areas from where offences are not being reported at the PCR. Solutions may be devised to tackle the same. Reporting of offences feeds into prevention of recurrence of same instances at the same places by the same persons in future.
Second, the Police being the first responders, their PCR services may be made directly accessible to the app users by the integration of location and call details information of PCR vehicles with the app. In the ‘golden period’ this will enable the app user to connect with the nearest source of help in a distress situation.
Third, counselling services being the strength of the private players (this being a professional service, Police must desist from attempting the same), they must be in the forefront of providing counselling, medical support and legal aid to those who share their personal stories of harassment, while maintaining the confidentiality of the survivor. Social media experts may be engaged to provide training in safe access and use of social media. But, Police may participate with the private players in outreach and awareness programs in schools, colonies and slums.
Fourth, and most important, an online FIR registration mechanism must be integrated in the app. The PCR may be designated as a Police Station for the purpose. The PCR must provide phone call based assistance in online registration of FIR. If medical or other conditions require, the FIR registration must be delivered at the door steps of the victim.
The collaboration has the potential to empower individual women and provide them an agency in ensuring their own safety. Most importantly, this is a means of incorporating women’s voices, worldview and inputs in Urban Planning and making it Gender Inclusive. Such participatory and inclusive ways of working are likely to enhance trustworthiness of Police Organisation.
Note : For this model to be successful, selection of credible and competent private partners, trust building, laying down clear terms of engagement are essential.
Limitations : The solution merely enables women to make informed decisions as they navigate through the existing threats, rather than making the entire city safe for them. Therefore the proposal alleviates women’s condition in the present scenario rather than uplifting the overall women’s position in the society, which would require a large scale social change.
Another limitation is the access of technology, especially among women. Gender continues to constrain mobile phone ownership and, importantly, the migration to more advanced mobile phone technologies (smartphones) and services (mobile money and internet) (13).
Last and most important, excessive reliance on data may lead to errors and biases therefore the insights from data analysis need to be critically questioned and corroborated.
II. Paradigm shift from process centric to victim/survivor centric:
The Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) project was started by MHA in 2009. The CCTNS project seeks to integrate the Police data with other pillars of the criminal justice system namely- Courts, Prisons, Prosecution, Forensics and Finger Prints into a unified Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS).
As of November 2015, only 78% of the police stations are entering 100% FIRs through the CCTNS software. Progress of migration of investigative processes from paper to CCTNS is even slower and skewed statewise. (23)
For the slow progress on achieving the stated objectives of CCTNS (box), various reasons identified by police officers are listed in the box. All these issues can be resolved through better coordination and incentivisation of personnel. And this is not what I intend to focus on.
Digitisation of Police records is a given because well begun is half done. My proposal focuses on a paradigm shift in CCTNS, from process centric to victim centric. Should the Police continue to function in old ways with respect to offences of sexual harassment in public spaces, and just do it digitally rather than on paper ?
How do we do this? We need to ask ourselves this question, “Why should the victim support the police and the prosecution?” How do we treat the victims as customers and ourselves as service providers. How do we provide Police Services at the door step of the victim? A whole change of mindset is required to do this. This is the Change Management that the Police Leadership needs to usher in.
As a woman who walks on roads and uses public transport, as a survivor of a sexual offence, as a client of the Police Organisation, I expect the following services when I decide to lodge a formal complaint-
1. Online registration of FIR and legal assistance if I am not aware of the legal procedures.
2. Copy of FIR to be provided to me on email
3. Timely intimation through email- of dates and venue for medical examination, court appearances or visit of police officials for recording of statement.
4. Email information regarding credible medical and counselling services.
5. Email information regarding my legal rights when interacting with doctors, magistrates, lawyers and Police.
6. Email information regrading victim compensation under the Central and State government schemes that I can avail, procedure to apply and to follow up, contact details of concerned officials.
7. Victim/witness protection programs if any.
8. Online registration of any further complaints in case I am threatened by the accused.
9. Guarantee of anonymity from media and from public in general.
10. Transparency, professionalism, expeditious investigation and trial
The information related documents can prepared by Police in collaboration with legal experts. Then all these can be built into CCTNS with use of modern applications. This would replace most of my direct interface with the Police Station and Police Officials with technological interface; minimise my secondary victimisation. Only then would I be able to overcome the trauma and harm done to me, be an informed and active participant in the process and fight my case with strength and dignity.
As an IPS Officer, I expect the following services when I supervise investigation of hundreds of cases of Sexual Harassment-
1. I should be able to choose a case file and have the steps of investigation arranged in a neat chronological table. Upon clicking on any one item int the table I should be able to expand the details.
2. I should be able to view an entire case file in terms of the check lists and SoPs that incorporate all relevant legal provisions in a specific kind of offence, eg. Acid attack, online harassment etc.
3. I should be able to deploy simple AI tools to analyse the entire investigation data. This could be to reveal trends in investigative processes being victim centric or not- across police stations, across investigating officers and across locations. Or trends in duration of investigation and trial; or trends in rate of conviction; and so much more.
This would enable me to effectively supervise and monitor the investigation processes, at the same time keeping the victim in focus.
CONCLUSION
Change Management is one of the most important functions of Leadership, more in the context of Indian Police Service which leads an organisation that was conceptualised and constructed by the colonial power. The transition from a colony to a democracy and welfare state has brought about many changes in the Police Organisation, but as far as stemming out gender, caste, religion and region based prejudices are concerned, as far as developing a modern egalitarian outlook is concerned, the progress has been rather slow, much to the disadvantage of the underprivileged.
As technology presents immense possibilities, it is time for the Police Leadership to take charge. We need to build in ‘Disruptions’ that challenge status quo to expedite the process of behaviour change and finally attitude change. Behaviour change has happened when each police officer cutting across levels says and does what he or she is supposed to and does not say or does what he or she is not supposed to; irrespective of his or her beliefs and attitudes. Attitude change has happened when they say and do the right thing and believe in it. As Police Leaders the IPS need to lead from the front.
References
1.https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/aug/13/can-the-safecity-app-make-delhi-safer-for-women
2. Author’s personal experience
3.https://www.epw.in/engage/article/how-do-we-help-women-navigate-cities-designed-men
4.https://yourstory.com/2018/07/gender-inclusive-urban-city-planning
11.http://www.ihdindia.org/hdidelhi/pdf/Crime_against_Women_and_Children_in_Delhi.pdf
14.https://yourstory.com/2018/01/women-in-workforce
15.http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/559511491319990632/pdf/WPS8024.pdf
16.https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intersectionality
17. http://www.jagori.org/publication/draft-strategic-framework-women’s-safety-delhi-2010
18. http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2015/apr/27/Power-Angels-to-Protect-Women-747608.html
21.https://thewire.in/women/ups-anti-romeo-squads-are-doing-the-opposite-of-what-theyre-supposed-to
22.https://mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/CCTNS_Briefportal24042018.pdf
23. http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/AllStates7thJan2016. pdf
And how safe do the Women in Police feel, from the Men in Police? When there isn’t Sexual Harassment, there is fear of it, lurking all the time !
https://thewire.in/gender/india-police-gender-women
On 11-Oct-2019, at 10:46 AM, rajinder vij vijrk@hotmail.com [IndiaTopCop] <IndiaTopCop@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
My article regarding need to increase women in police force appeared in the new Indian Express paper on 8th October http://epaper.morningstandard.in/c/44446432
RegardsSent from my iPhoneOn 11-Oct-2019, at 9:02 AM, sanjay bhatiya sanjaybhatiya999@hotmail.com [IndiaTopCop] <IndiaTopCop@yahoogroups.com> wrote:Why do our leaders and we need to be about this !!
Sanjay Bhatia
From: IndiaTopCop@yahoogroups.com <IndiaTopCop@yahoogroups.com> on behalf of sanjay bhatiya sanjaybhatiya999@hotmail.com [IndiaTopCop] <IndiaTopCop@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, October 11, 2019 8:42 AM
To: indiatopcop topcop <indiatopcop@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [IndiaTopCop] Women essential in police forces: SC – The HinduExcerpts,” The presence of women personnel in the police force, considering the crime against women, is the prime need of the hour, the Supreme Court has said in a recent judgment.“The presence of lady members in the police force, considering the crime against women, is a prime need of the hour. Thus we feel that every endeavour should be made to ensure that there is higher representation of women in the police services,” the Supreme Court said in an order on September 27.“It is not as if some quota is being carved out for the women candidates but they are competing against men candidates. They have been successful in competitive examination getting higher merit,” the Supreme Court said.__._,_.___
Posted by: rajinder vij <vijrk@hotmail.com>
Reply via web post • Reply to sender • Reply to group • Start a New Topic • Messages in this topic (3) A man who dares to waste an hour of time has not discovered the value of his life.Charles Darwin
—————————————————————
(https://www.facebook.com/100000284392209/posts/2676796065673180?sfns=mo)
Objectives-
1. Who is a child? Can there be or should there be an age specific cut-off? If yes, then what should be that age?
2. Does a Child have the right to sexuality? To make decision regarding engaging in sex? With whom? How?
3. If yes, then how do we see Child Sexual Abuse?
4. Schools of thought regarding agency and competence of a child.
5. Analysis of Pocso from this lens.
6. The recent Madras HC Judgement and the preceding Delhi HC judgements by Judge Dharmesh Darshan form the perspective of a Child’ sAgency or Competence. Romeo-Juliet exception.
Introduction-
Picture Courtesy : Google Images
With ‘The Salesman’, Asghar Farhadi, the cinema creator, creates a web of events in the lives of a couple based in Iran that bring the two characters out in the open. No value judgement attached to their behaviours, actions and values; it is left for the viewer to read them as he or she would.
Emad is the bread winner, the decision maker, the man in the marriage. He is a teacher by profession and does theatre in his free time. As a teacher, he is cheerful and encourages his teenage students to read literature and watch theatre. He is comfortable with his students joking and laughing in the class and with him.
Rana is a home maker and in theatre too, she plays Emad’s wife.
The sudden turn of events changes it all for the couple.
Emad wants to inform the Police but Rana would’nt do it. She was too traumatised to share even with him, how could she go all over it again in front of the Police? And she carries the guilt, the victim’s guilt. Why did I leave the door open? Why did this happen to me?
He sets on to his own investigation.
“Why do you want to know who that was?”, she asks her.
“I want to teach him a lesson.”
Was he consumed by hatred because his wife was in pain and the suffering would’nt end for her, hence for him?
Or was it that his male pride had been bruised by another man?
What was it, that was propelling him on the path of retributive justice?
He was angry with his friend who got him to move to this new house.
He was angry with his students. One innocent mistake by a student, he insults him before the class and insists that he call his father to school. He just would’nt let go the teenager, who broke down after this encounter.
He was angry with Rana. “What do I do?”, he snaps. “If you cannot live in this house any more, if you cannot take a shower in this bathroom anymore, if you cannot sleep here any more?”
Rana tries to pick up the pieces of their broken household and her own broken bones and self worth.
But Emad wouldn’t rest until he finds him.
Finally he does.
He roughs up this man, locks him up in a small room and insists on exposing him before his wife and daughter.
Towards the climax, as a viewer I could see all that is wrong with retributive justice. It makes the perpetrator as much a victim as the victim of this perpetrator was. And the victim himself now becomes a perpetrator. And this victim turned perpetrator ends up victimising himself.
There was element of error as well as guilt. He confessed to both. He apologised. Rana seemed to accept the apology. Or may be she just wanted to close the matter. And she wanted to leave it at that and move on. To live her own life.
Time had already washed off some of her pain and seeing the frailty of the old man (the perpetrator), the pain and suffering of his family, Rana felt that he had been penalised enough. And certainly, he need not pay for it with his life.
She threatened Emad that if he persisted with his plans, she would walk on him.
And when she did so, it was evident that it was not their marriage that he had been fighting for, it was not her or his own happiness that he had been fighting for. He had been fighting for something deep within himself. Something that all his education and training in theatre had not been able to erase from his core! It lay there lurking inside him all the while. Threatening to overpower him the moment it felt hurt.
Why might have Asghar found Rana more suitable to deliver the message that forgiveness is superior to retribution. Being the victim of lust and violence of a man, only she had the power to forgive him? Or was she a prisoner to her femininity and had to forgive him? Or because she was not prisoner to masculinity so that she had to take revenge?
As a Police Officer, I also find in this film crucial insights in criminology and victimology.
The victim first. If she doesn’t feel safe enough, confident enough to share, to complain, then the system has failed her. If she complains, the offender gets booked, the offender doesn’t repeat the offence and there is demonstration effect on other prospective offenders- its a win-win situation for the police and the criminal justice system.
But this doesn’t happen. There is the sense of shame and victim blaming heaped on her by the society. Such social prejudice is mimicked by the police leading to secondary victimisation of the victim.
The offender is not a demon with horns on his head. He is an ordinary man, just another guy in the mohalla. He is God-fearing, keeps poor health, has a family, has women in his family. Yet he does it. Why?
First we can look at the child rearing practices with which he might have been brought up. Was he made to learn that he deserves to get whatever he wants from women. Was he made to learn that women cannot say no to him for anything. Was he made to learn that he is not supposed to regulate his impulses, rather act on them. And what he was taught as a child was reinforced by his sister, wife, children and everyone in his adulthood.
Second we can look at the social structures that permit and perpetuate these violations of women by men. Why do such acts go unpunished. Why do they continue to happen in every corner on every other woman?
As Police Officers, it is important for us to understand the nature of sexual offences against women and children, as opposed to offences against property. The power structures of the society defined by Gender, intersecting with caste, class and religion play a crucial role in such offences. They also determine the course of investigation and prosecution. Our endeavour must be to devise ways to eliminate the influence of such power play from investigation and prosecution.
There has to be a sea-change in our attitudes and behaviour, along with credible victim and witness protection programs, if the reporting and conviction in offences against women is to improve. The Criminal Justice system has to be well informed, professional, based on scientific evidence and has to be insulated from political considerations, in the interest of justice.
She is a mother. Or a mother to be. Only a minuscule blob of cells, but she feels its presence inside her womb. Presence of a life. Throbbing inside her. Emanating ripples of happiness from her navel to her entire body, upto her fingers, her toes and her her eyes, shining like a sparkle in them. Through her whole self. She giggles to herself. She gently strokes her belly. As if caressing it. She is a mother.
She hears it calling out “maaa” to her! At first she is startled. But it keeps calling “maaa”, during day, during night, when she is at work! What if others around her hear its voice? “Hush”, she tells it lovingly. She wants to hold her ear close to her abdomen. But she is not able to. Yet she is confident that she hasn’t heard a voice sweeter than this. She is a mother.
The red nail polish that she would paint over her finger nails during those days every month, the pain, the embarrassment and the seclusion, not just from the rest of the world and but also from Allah; all of it makes sense to her now, for the first time. She is a mother.
And how many mothers know the exact date and time when they conceived a new life in their womb? She does.
After consuming the pills, as she lies in the bed tears well up in her eyes and she feels heaviness in her heart. In the morning, she still finds tears in her eyes. Suddenly she hears the voice calling out “maaa” !
How could this be? She goes back to the doctor.
This time the doctor gives an injection to her. Next morning she again hears “maaa”!
“It is stubborn”, says the doctor and goes ahead with the surgery.
Despite the anaesthesia she keeps on hearing “maaa”, “maaa”, “maaa”… in her head. Then the voice starts getting fainter and fainter. As if it has been buried in a deep well. As if a heavy stone has been thumped on to the mouth of the well. And “maaa” is not heard again. She is no more a mother. She sees her fingers smeared red. It’s not the red nail polish. It’s blood.
She wanted it. She had the conviction. Then what made her kill it? Was it her husband? Was it their circumstances? Or was it her mother? Or the society? Who decided the fate of the child? And the fate of the mother? Was it her decision after all?
Isn’t decision making synonymous with power? And what is power?
Power is about one’s status. One’s ability to choose, and to choose freely. To make an informed choice. And most importantly, power is the ability to exercise that choice.
She is a mother. She has the power to nurture a new life for nine months and to deliver that life into the world. But the power to take decisions regarding her own body and her own foetus, eludes her. When to have a child, when not to have one, how many children to have. The mother of ‘The Heavy Stone’. Or any mother. A prostitute, a widow, a single mother, an unwed mother, a legally wedded mother… she is just a mother. May be, just a womb. A means to some ends. Ends to maintain and perpetuate the power structure in a patriarchal society.
A mother who willingly seeks sex selective abortion, or willingly seeks to produce children after children till she has had atleast one or the desired number of sons, is to be seen as such- an agent of patriarchy. Her decisions determined more by the intersections of patriarchy with religion, caste, socio-economics and politics; rather than her ‘power‘.
While the story highlights how in a patriarchy the reproductive rights of women are denied to them, it also highlights, what Rakhshanda Jalil calls ‘the male gaze’. How do male Urdu writers; and in the same vein, literature, cinema, popular media and all of us see women? What are women in eyes of the collective called society?
Just pause and think, why does this story evoke such powerful emotions in the readers? Why do all of us, men or women, feel deep pain in the pain endured by the protagonist?
As per this story, a woman is a mother, she has got to be a mother, a stereotypical mother. She ought to feel about her foetus a la the protagonist of ‘The Heavy Stone’. And she ought to think, act and behave as such. Or else, she isn’t really a mother. As a corollary, she isn’t really a woman!
Add to this the portrayal of the objective and rational father and the contrasting approach of the mother and father to an unplanned pregnancy.
Interestingly, such a stereotypical representation of a mother, or a woman, further reinforces the exercise of control over reproductive rights of women in a patriarchy. It’s a vicious cycle. I am talking about the age old debate over a woman’s right to abortion. The debate whether life begins at conception or at birth. Irrespective of when life begins, should women have the power to decide whether or not to bear a child and whether or not to give birth to a child? There is a value judgement that comes with each such decision.
And once she is a mother, there is a value judgement attached to each of her actions. The notion of being ‘a typical mother’ is The Heavy Stone that a woman carries all through her life, starting from the stage of conception, or even before that.
Recollect the 1957 film Mother India where Radha (played by Nargis) literally carries a huge plough on her back with her children trotting behind her, all singing “Duniya me hum aye hain to jeena hi parega…(Now that we have come to this world, we ought to live)”. All through the film she strictly conforms to the image of a mother. Except in the end, when duty to the nation takes precedence over the duty of a mother and she fires a bullet at her son and goes on to become the ‘Mother India’. She evokes typical sentiments of misery, suffering, righteousness and selfless love, sacrifice of all personal interests for her children. She is a mother.
Through the millennia, the portrayal of a mother hasn’t changed much in Indian cinema. Few exceptions, for example the 2019 Badhai Ho, are path breaking in that sense. In this film, a middle aged mother having two grown up sons, is faced with an unplanned pregnancy. After all the gruelling from her mother in law, relatives and her own sons, finally she is accepted as such, as a sexual being, as a woman with an agency, apart from being a mother. And hopefully, the viewers too accept her just the way she is.
From reel to real, mothers in India are expected to drop out of education, to leave their jobs and to remain confined to homes. Those who continue to work face the perpetual working mother’s guilt. And whether they work or don’t, they are expected to shoulder the entire upbringing of the children including feeding, cleaning, education, career planning and everything under the sun. The mothers themselves internalise this image to that extent that they have come to be called ‘the Chinese Tiger Mom‘ or ‘the Korean Manager Mom‘ and the like.
The consequences of such mothering for the upbringing of children, as well as for the mental health of the mothers themselves are a subject of much research.
India accounts for 36·6% of the global suicide deaths among women, according to the Lancet Public Health Journal. “Married women, in the age group of 15-29 years account for the highest proportion of suicide deaths among women in India. Marriage is known to be less protective against suicide for women because of arranged and early marriage, young motherhood, low social status, domestic violence, and economic dependence.”
From my work experience as a police officer, I can distinctly recollect several cases of suicides by young married women, mostly mothers. Based on my field visits and interactions with relatives and neighbours of the deceased women, post partum depression heightened by the expectations piled on young mothers appears to be a major co-contributor.
Can the sum total of a woman’s personality, her attributes, motivations, aspirations and creative energies be type casted in a fixed mould called ‘mother’. Yes, she is a mother. Hence a nurturer, a caregiver. But she must be so much more as well.
Picture Courtesy : Author………………………………………………………………………..
Published – https://thewire.in/women/woman-police-officers-india
Editor’s Note – https://twitter.com/svaradarajan/status/1103915844386451456?s=21
Comments –
1. In response, its a wonderful piece. But I feel few points in context of women in police are relevant. Odisha is amongst few state to implement reservation for women.
01. Women IPS officers and women constables/lower level officers have hugely differing experience. An woman IPS officer gets , many times more recognition and acceptance from public. Sometimes more than male officers. Not generalising, but still.
02. Women can be as insensitive as men. Particularly while dealing with women, I have personally come across women constables/officers are more blunt and insensitive. I used to get highest complaints of insensitive remarks to women in mahila ps.
3. Organization is insensitive for ensuring basic facilities for women staff like ladies freshroom, changing room, creche etc. But we r equally insensitive for amenities of our male constables also.
4. Gossiping and judging happens for male officers also. Particularly where cadre is small, the gossips are more venomous and vicious.
5. Are these experiences of women limited to police organization only ? No. Underlining point is we are the reflection of the society. And our society is at least 200 years behind to internalize the western concepts of equality, diginity to all and Civic sense and respect for law.
Keep writing. Is the movie available in you tube?
Uma Shankar Dash, IPS
2. Hi Alankrita! Just read your piece. It was wonderful. I think the culture of silence is very dangerous and toxic. We are sometimes more scared of our service than of the law. It takes a lot of courage to speak about things that are important to you. The fact you did deserves our support and appreciation. The service has its own problems so does every institution, it’s our responsibility to speak about things we see everyday and which affect us. 👍
Aditya Goenka, IPS
3. To share very honestly , since all of you are my batch mates here, I was very very very anxious in sending this piece out in public.
Rather scared.
Though I am sure that my intention is not to point fingers at anyone, men or women, I was apprehensive that this may be seen as accusatory, esp of the men folk.
Is it so ?
I am prepared for any feedback or response to this. And prepared to listen to people who disagree with me on one or many counts. And more scared of seniors than batch mates.
Myself
4. Hi Alankrita. Just read your write up in The Wire. Some articles are commentaries while some are written to make a point. Very few articles are pathbreaking.. particularly by their subtle appeal at shaking the collective conscience of society at large. What I read today shall surely resonate and shall continue to stoke emotions not just in us, the women in Police, but also the macho men in Police & beyond. And I hope in women out of uniform too. Well done girl! And thank you for speaking for all of us🥂
Sarah, IPS
5. Well written. Your analysis is on the right track and the solutions suggested are also doable. But I think it is a more complex issue, and how each one responds is different depending on her cultural ideation. There has to be many more labels. But this is a very good beginning of a meaningful conversations across the board.
Jijaa Hari Singh, Retd IPS
6. How very articulate ! And what a nuanced understanding of both the characters.. in fact the first thing I thought when I saw the movie was that even though we need officers like Kalpana with such high EQ in our forces, it is people like her who are considered ‘misfits’ in the system and that is so unfortunate. You’ve said it, and so much more in much better way.
Hope the article gets more reads across every profession.
And ofcourse we’re all so proud of you ma’am ! 🙂
Aparajta, IAS, 2017
7. Wow! An excellent piece. Thought provoking and blunt to the core. Crisp language and fluid narrative. Need to watch ‘Soni’ now. Congratulations and proud of you 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Rakesh Kumar, Commandant ITBP
8. A well balanced perspective. Points put across in a genuine and objective manner sans any melodrama. Thanks for Sharing Alankrita. More power to u 👍🏼🙏🏻
Abhijeet Saptarishi, IPS
9. Very well written write up in Wire, Alankrita.
12. Excellent article a realistic assessment. They say behind every successful man there is a woman ,in some cases (wife who knows too well ) a shocked woman!
14. Thank you for the thought provoking article on a topic of great current relevance.
15. As usual, a wonderfully written piece Alankrita. If I have a quibble it is only that please don’t stereotype the men either. Our profession needs to get away from stereotypes of all kinds. But that apart, it is full of insights and ideas. Thank you for enriching the discourse on this important subject.
Best wishes,
Abhinav Kumar IPS
IG Kashmir Frontier
Border Security Force
Srinagar
Port Blair. For men, women and children living in urban jungles, the sea side breeze and splashing of waves as they hit the shore and the occasional showers of water spilling on to the road even as the traffic criss crosses as usual; become etched in memories that linger on long after they leave Port Blair and return to where they belong.
Port Blair is a buzzing tourist town, small yet vibrant. The sea facing parks, open gym, children’s play zone, mobile street eateries and a couple of kilometers long walking path… just to name a few.
Amidst these modern recreational avenues and the charm of the sea, a major attraction is the one and half centuries old Cellular Jail, with many a powerful historical tales embedded in its imposing structure. Those that evoke strong emotions and patriotism and gratitude.
The architecture is aesthetic and intimidating at the same time. The long corridors lit up by the large arched windows appear to be tending to infinity. The patterns of alternate light and dark are occasionally interspersed with human shapes and shadows framed in an arch. Interesting characters against the backdrop of the geometry, the textures and the colors appear to be painted in light.
The dark cells are enchanting. Thick walls. A small ventilator. A fool proof locking mechanism. Enter one of them, you heart might miss a beat or two.
Though, on a lighter side, a student was heard remarking that these cells are larger than the hostel rooms in Delhi !
I invite you to see the Cellular Jail, through my lens.
The door in this last picture is the entrance to an ART Exhibition. There are paintings by renowned artists displayed in this gallery. The paintings appear to be the visualisation of each of the artists of the time and of the people of that time, when the Cellular Jail was but THE CELLULAR JAIL. Of which only a glimpse may now be seen, through the light and sound and through these paintings.
I am sharing pictures of some them, those that really appealed to my eyes. And to my heart.
Powerful. Evocative and provocative.
alankritaimages 