People's Democracy

AIDWA Condemns AP DGP Statement

THE All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) has, through a statement issued from New Delhi on January 2, has strongly condemned the anti-women, wrong and offensive remarks made by the director general of police (DGP) of Andhra Pradesh. One would recall that in a press conference held on December 30, 2011, the said DGP, Dinesh Reddy, had sought to blame women themselves for the increasing incidence of rape, saying that their “fashionable, flimsy” and thereby “provocative” clothing was responsible for it. The DGP reportedly stated that even in rural areas, women provoke men by wearing what he called “fashionable” clothes rather than traditional attires.

According to the AIDWA, the DGP has in this way tried to rationalise the behaviour of the rapists by linking it to the type of dress worn by rape victims, in which the police is helpless to intervene.

To add insult to injury, the woman and child development minister of Karnataka, Patil, quite alarmingly endorsed the AP DGP’s outrageous statement. At a press meet held on January 1, 2012, the minister reportedly responded to the DGP’s remarks with his own sexist comment that women should know how much skin to cover when going to work.

The AIDWA statement expressed the organisation’s deep sense of shock and concern over the fact that if public servants, who are responsible for protecting women from crimes like sexual assaults, think in such patriarchal and erroneous ways, they thereby justify the rapists’ actions. These views also seek to impose a traditional dress code on women, which is highly unwarranted. Blaming the victim for a crime which has been perpetrated against her, is not only grossly unfair and unjust to her but is and has been one of the main reasons for the police and sections of the judiciary not taking stringent action against the rapists. Among other consequences, this has led to a shamefully low conviction rate and lesser sentences. Such statements also embolden the criminals further.   The 2010 report of the National Crime Records Bureau has shown that while the incidence of rape has gone up, the conviction rate has declined. In such a context, the AIDWA said, the irresponsible statements made by those holding high office are extremely reprehensible, as they would undoubtedly exacerbate the trend of sexual violence against women.

The AIDWA has therefore demanded that the DGP of Andhra Pradesh and the WCD minister of Karnataka must withdraw their objectionable remarks immediately, failing which appropriate action must be taken against them.