A Madras HC Judge Says That A Faulty Gene Makes Men Mistreat Women Who Are Subordinate To Them.
Have you ever thought about what a world without gender disparity would look like? There would be no violence against women, no patriarchy oppressing women, no misogynistic politicians and professional environments be as comfortable for women as they are for men. Doesn’t this sound like utopia? But alas, we are lightyears away from a world that doesn’t prey on women. Right now, we are struggling in every sphere. Men in power positions feel like they can take undue advantage of women. They wield their power and position over our heads and most of the time, they walk away scot-free after misbehaving. It’s just how the world works because who is going to believe these powerful men are in the wrong? So women suffer as they always have. Recently, this toxic and frankly dangerous culture was called out by the Madras HC and we are all for it.
Recently, Justice N Anand Venkatesh from the Madras HC expressed his concern over the amount of struggle a woman police officer had to go through to even file an FIR against the DGP. He spoke about the abuse of power that so rampantly happens in cases that involve a woman and an influential man. He said, “The more the power that is vested in a person by virtue of the position that he is holding, the more stringent must be the punishment if he indulges in sexual harassment.”
Needless to say, we are all for this. Ever since I can remember, women who are sexually assaulted or wronged by men in power are dragged through the mud. People raise questions and assassinate her character to shreds instead of calling out the man in question. This happens not only in politics or the police department or Bollywood. It can happen in your office or mine. It’s a distant hope that these men who abuse their power are brought to justice and given “stringent punishments”.
If an officer, due to the power he wields, thinks that he can get over with his power and connections from any act, this court is not going to be a mute spectator: Justice N Anand Venkatesh of Madras HC while deciding to monitor sexual harassment case against a special DGP https://t.co/O4XcwYVkpM
— Mohamed Imranullah S (@imranhindu) March 2, 2021
Also Read: Himachal Pradesh Court Said Women Aren’t “Cattle” But Autonomous Beings With Rights
Talking about the case involving a woman police officer and a DGP, Justice N Anand Venkatesh went on to say, “This court shudders to think as to what would have happened if the victim was an officer belonging to a lower cadre as that of a sub-inspector or constable. Probably, it would have become impossible for such an officer to have even given a complaint.” Further adding, “If this is the situation faced by a woman officer, it was hard to think about what would happen if it were an ordinary woman with no background who faced sexual harassment.”
If an ordinary woman faced this situation, the case would probably not even reach a court of law. It would be swept under the rug along with the woman’s entire future. That’s what happens and it’s the reason most women choose not to report incidents of harassment involving a man in power.
However, after saying all these extremely on point statements, the judge moved on to say something we don’t agree with. He said that “There is a faulty gene in men which sometimes make them think that a woman is subordinate to them and that at times she can even be treated as a chattel.”
"Shocked" Madras High Court to monitor probe into sexual harassment allegations levelled by IPS officer against Tamil Nadu Special DGP@meera_emmanuel reports#MadrasHighCourt
https://t.co/KKxEsmzaDv— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) March 1, 2021
Is it only me or does that sound like another man making excuses? It’s not a faulty gene that makes men treat women subordinate to them horribly. It’s their misogyny and utter disrespect. It’s high time men stop with these rubbish justifications, own up and actually stop treating women like objects on women, subordinate or not. The average Indian working woman faces discrimination, harassment and sometimes even sexual assault at the workplace all because of their gender. There is no faulty gene involved. A faulty brain? Maybe.
After so much struggle, women are finally shattering glass ceilings and being promoted to top positions in companies. However, the judge observed that that is not necessarily enough to put her in a stable and secure position. She is still viewed in the same damaged light. Justice N Anand Venkatesh said, “History, time and again, shows that it is after a very long struggle and only in the last 25 years that women have somehow managed to get to top levels at workplaces. That by itself does not place them at a secure position since they are not seen in their stature as an officer or professional but continue to be seen merely with patriarchal eyes.”
We completely agree with this and it’s going to take a long, long time to change this fact. Hopefully, there will come a day when men in power positions who dare to mess with a woman in any way are unable to evade punishment and are made to answer for their actions. But until then, all we can do is spread as much awareness and start as many dialogues about this as we can. We are glad that there is an HC judge who somewhat understands the problem. But unfortunately, that’s not enough to change this age-old system.
https://thehauterfly.com/lifestyle/court-grants-married-man-bail-after-he-rapes-and-impregnates-16yo-girl/
