I Think: The Nirbhaya case made Delhi ‘the rape capital’
Arshiya Zubair, freelance journalist, New Delhi
I am a social media enthusiast, so I get most of my news from the internet, and sometimes from TV. Whenever I read or watch stories of rape and molestation, I ask myself whether am I safe going out alone or should I just abandon this place and go back to my parents.
I was in high school, class 10, when the Nirbhaya case happened. The incident, the way she was raped, astounded everybody, including my parents — so much so that they even started re-considering my decision to pursue further studies in Delhi-NCR.
Since then, not much has changed. The same insecurity prevails in me and my parents. I managed to come here (to Delhi) but I had to learn to tolerate those stares and uncomfortable gazes. The Nirbhaya case is what made Delhi ‘the rape capital’ of India, but there is so much sexual violence against women everywhere in this country. Every day you hear about someone getting raped and murdered in some random city or village. Victims are mercilessly hanged on the trees, thrown away in rivers, or burnt alive, and all of this has become the new normal.
I think that more than the media, it is the responsibility of the police to ensure justice for the victims. You can dial the UP Police Women’s Helpline and see for yourselves — nobody will attend to you. Why? Is our being harassed not an issue for them? Is it that my security is just my concern? The police will have to answer that.
To the media I say, you are the biggest change-makers today — try to ensure justice for the victims, and not only report rapes. Nirbhaya’s parents fought for justice but there are many who can’t… be a catalyst for justice for them — before everything goes out of our hands.
