Prisoners of gender

Published in the Pioneer Edit Page on April 30, 2003

A recent media report on the auction of two tribal women in a Panchayat in Madhya Pradesh for marrying outside their caste has rightly outraged many. What was perhaps more shocking was the fact that a section of the intelligentsia tried to justify this heinous crime on the grounds of 'custom' and 'tradition'.
On January 3, 2003, Basanta and Devaki Bai were sold for Rs 8,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively to bidders by the Bhil Samaj Sudhar Samiti in Gowari. There were 18 others who met the same fate. The women concerned were asked to lower their pallus and to stand with stones on their heads, so that the libidinous men who bought them could gauge their appearance and gait. Those whom no one bid for were slapped with heavy fines and made to stand with huge stones on their heads for the entire day. For the endogamy-practicing Bhil tribe, this was a way of bringing all Bhil women living with men outside their caste back into the fold.
One opinion column in a news weekly said that members of the educated elite tended to be "ill-informed about the customs, traditions and (the) contemporary life situation of the diverse people and communities in our own country". It was said the auction indicated that the Bhil villagers could at best be accused of practising a distorted version of tradition: That of the groom's family offering gifts to the bride's family at the time of marriage. The writer further stated that, while he did not endorse the actions of the Bhil Panchayat, he would not "recommend handing over such sensitive issues to the police"!
In a country where lower caste women suffer double discrimination on the basis of caste and gender, such views are atrocious, to say the least. According to reports of several human rights organisations, the authorities have failed to prevent violence against women and often take an active part in it. An Amnesty International report highlights the patterns of violence- including beating, stripping and rape of women- in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. It focuses particularly on Dalit and Adivasi women, their lack of access to justice and the state's failure to protect them at the local level.
This is not to say high levels of violence against women are not widely acknowledged by the authorities and that no steps are being taken to address these problems. Yet the fact remains officials at the local level continue to ignore complaints, take bribes, and cover up the abuses.
Police are also widely accused of withholding and destroying evidence in many cases, usually at the behest of the accused with whom they may have caste or other links. Witnesses often withdraw their testimony after taking a bribe or being threatened by the accused, and medical evidence is lost because simple procedures are not followed. The length of time it takes to pursue a case of torture through the courts demoralises the victims, who then make compromises under pressure.
Women activists in India have played a crucial role in highlighting the problems faced by women, but they are often punished for it, becoming victims of violence themselves. Under such circumstances, human rights violations should be immediately reported to the police and swift action should be initiated by the latter. The media, on its part, needs to play a proactive role in educating the masses instead of misguiding them by displaying caste and gender biases. Defending one's 'custom' and 'tradition' is no doubt commendable, but that should not and cannot be at the cost of basic human rights.