In July, Two women were forced to walk naked in front of a crowd after being sexually assaulted in the Indian state of Manipor. Video of the incident went viral on social networks and sparked a wave of ethnic violence that left dozens dead. Last month, Another woman was stripped naked and paraded on the streets of Hosa Vantamuri in Karnataka. Two cases that add to the gang rapes suffered in this country by packs or mobs – including underage girls – some of which end in murder by stoning or violence. A sad reality in India that has come to an end It became a “tradition” to parade women to “punish them for their actions or those of their relatives.”
According to India's constitution, men and women have equal rights and discrimination based on an individual's gender is “formally prohibited”, indicating that it is a country that guarantees equality. Nothing is further from the truth, Women are seen as objects, scapegoats and culprits for every social problem.
These are events that do not occur in isolation, as they are occurring more and more frequently. Most of these incidents reportedly originate from family or caste conflicts. So, himSexist violence has increased in this area in recent years, and although it causes major social unrest or shakes global society, such situations continue to occur.
These are not isolated cases: women in India are forced to go naked or are raped as “punishment”.
In 2014, A 45-year-old woman was paraded naked on a donkey after being accused of killing her nephew; one year later, Five women were stripped, paraded and whipped by members of a higher caste after one of their daughters ran away with a boy of the same descent; A 23-year-old woman was punished because she was pregnant and allegedly went out with another man in 2021, and a similar case occurred in August last year, when Another woman was accused of the same allegation by her husband and in-laws. Likewise an eight-year-old girl was the victim of another event that caused a worldwide uproar after his death sexually abused and stoned to death by several men.
All of these cases occurred in different cities, but they are just a few examples of the reported incidents. In 2023 alone, up to 83,344 cases of this type were registered and more than 85,000 women were affected, according to the BBC. Of course, many other events of this kind go unreported for fear of being questioned by the relevant authorities, in a society where men's testimonies are more credible and women therefore have a great chance of getting the short end of the stick.
In India, Women's bodies are treated as a battlefield, which, tied to their honor and that of their families, makes them responsible for everything that concerns them. A double standard, because the praise always goes to the man who has the role of merit in the further development of a family, while the punishment falls on the women.
The judicial authorities emphasize “the importance of collective responsibility” and to tighten the law so that a “tradition” that does not stop ends up dying out, in a world increasingly focused on equality, although in some cases it seems to be left behind.