Below is an excellent article by Vandana Shiva making the connections between economic reforms and violence against women.
As women and as human beings we were all horrified at the senseless cruel death of the young woman in India who was gang raped to her death. My stomach churned violently as I watched the news about her rape and later her death. How could such a barbaric thing be attempted in such a civilized country. Where do these men get off thinking they can do such things to a woman? What kind of society encourage such thinking?
I was heartened at the outcry from both men and women alike against those men who committed the act. Will this send a message to those who would dare to treat women like a piece of rag? I think so only if the penalty to those perpetrators are severe. They should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Here’s what Vandana reflected:
Rape cases and cases of violence against women have increased over the years. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reported 10,068 rape cases in 1990 which increased to 16,496 in 2000. With 24,206 cases in 2011, rape cases jumped to incredible increase of 873 percent from 1971 when NCRB started to record cases of rape. And New Delhi has emerged as the rape capital of India, accounting for 25 percent cases.
The movement to stop this violence must be sustained till justice is done for every one of our daughters and sisters who has been violated.
And while we intensify our struggle for justice for women, we need to also ask why rape cases have increased 240 percent since 1990s when the new economic policies were introduced. We need to examine the roots of the growing violence against women.
Could there be a connection between the growth of violent, undemocratically imposed, unjust and unfair economic policies and the growth of crimes against women? Read more here…..
http://www.alternet.org/how-violent-economic-reforms-contribute-violence-against-women?
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