Why do women remain vulnerable to exploitation

 Every girl must have had this question in her mind at least once, "Why us"?? Sooner or later , they must have questioned on their own existence. Women , unfortunately , continue to face various forms of discrimination, violence  and marginalization globally.

Crime against  women is a pervasive issue that includes a range of crimes , including rape, domestic violence , kidnapping &dowry deaths etc.

Let's highlight some stats and reports before understanding the main causes for violence against women ,

The NFHS 5,found that nearly One  third of women aged 15-49 in India have experienced some form of violence.

As per annual report of NCRB(2022),

* One woman is raped every 20 minutes.

*From 2018 to 2022 , reported crime against women rose by 12.9% 

The women&men in India ,2023 report, shows a rise from 359849 case in 2017 to over 445000 in 2022, averaging 1220 case daily and averaging 51 FIR per hour.

The most common crimes include  cruelty by husbands or in-laws(31.4%),kidnapping and abduction(19.2%), assault to outrage modesty(18.7%) and rape(7.1%).

These figures underscore the persistent threats women face , even within their homes.

Now , let's look at the causes for rise in crime against women,

Patriarchal prisoners, the root cause of crimes against women is the patriarchal society that doesnt value women's rights and dignity . Rigid gender roles often result in the expectation that women be submissive to male family members. Women are expected to obey their husbands , act according to their wishes . And if they transgress these norms they may face physical violence.

Whilst women are expected to be submissive , men are expected to exercise power and control in their families and relationships. Why ? Just because they are so called  'earner'.

According to oxfam research, there is strong belief , among our societies, that violence is acceptable , and even necessary , when used by men to discipline women when their behaviour transgredses social norms. Do they always right? do they not have any flaws? Who are they to punish us?

 Seeing Women as commodity , it is common to objectify every woman in our society . In intimate relationships , women's choices over their bodies are dominated and controlled by their male partners . These norms contribute to intimate partner rape and other form of abuses, which are the most common form of violence against women. 

 More than 700 million girls worldwide have been forced to marry before the age of 18. Girl's bodies are often seen as assets that can depreciate or appreciate in value depending on community perception and notions about ' honour' contributing to early marriage.

What if we don't follow these societal norms?  and what if we do the same as men do?

Look nothing gonna change by policies ,by mindsets,  by schemes  , by candel marches , protesting .If we want to change our circumstances, then we will have to adopt some masculine  traits, at least temporarily. We need to find besides financial Independence and physical strenght ,what else makes us weaker , allowing men to dominate us? 

Everyday, everywhere , all over the  world , women and girls face violence. Girls, let's stop thinking it's normal. We can change this.