Interviewtimes 
Gender-based violence exists on a spectrum rooted in the same attitude and vision of women: as less than men. It is a fallacy to believe that this violence is the fault of individuals when embedded in the DNA of a patriarchal society and reproduced when the mechanisms of organizations or government agencies should consciously counteract misogyny.
But in the last few days alone, at least two incidents have shown that too much of what is being said about women’s rights and empowerment is lip service. Respecting women is a mantra elected leaders recite even when the actions of those around them undermine their words.
Just days ago, 11 men convicted of gang raping Bilkis Bano during the 2002 Gujarat riots were released early. Aside from the legal intricacies of how or why these convicts were released, it is the way their release was celebrated by the organization they belong to that belies the mantra. Rape in times of conflict was understood as a weapon to humiliate, dominate and instill fear in a community.
The conviction of the defendants was a victory for Bano, her community and the country as a whole, as it established that all have access to justice. The joy of their early release is an example of social entities undermining the justice provided by the state. Worse, it reiterates the message of fear and humiliation to the minority community while claiming that women’s bodies could be brutalized with approval for political and community reasons.
An example of how the mechanism in place to serve justice can run counter to justice is the order of a Kerala court awarding bail to a man accused of sexual molestation. While bail should be the rule rather than the exception in most cases, the judge not only allowed the defense to provide photographs of the victim in the clothes she was wearing at the time, but went on to say that there could be no sexual harassment, if the victim would be wearing provocative clothing. The takeaway from these two cases is that women in India are often not even seen as real human beings on an equal footing with their male counterparts. Empty reminders to respect women mean nothing when they are endlessly dehumanized by society and the state.
