Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal administered an oath to over 22 lakh students in Delhi’s private and government schools were they pledge to respect women and not violate their dignity.
Kejriwal stated that the oath-taking by lakh students was the beginning of a new initiative to make Delhi a safe place where women are not scared of stepping out at night.
लड़कों ने शपथ ली कि वे महिलाओं का सम्मान करेंगे, किसी लड़की के साथ दुर्व्यवहार या दुराचार नहीं करेंगे
सभी लड़कियाँ अपने घर जाकर अपने भाई को यही शपथ दिलाएँगी और कहेंगी कि वो अपने भाई से बहुत प्यार करती हैं, लेकिन अगर वो ग़लत काम करेगा तो हमेशा के लिए भाई से रिश्ता तोड़ लेंगी https://t.co/6Y7NkLPXjY
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 23, 2019
According to him, the campaign was organized for women security beginning with 22 lakh students. It would spread to many other parts of Delhi to change the ideology of society.
He further noted that CCTV cameras and street lights are also being installed in a bid to make the street a safer place for women.
The recent spate of violent deaths of women across the country has triggered a nationwide conversation about the culture of apathy towards sexual harassment and institutionalised misogyny which places the blame of rape on the victim.
The Chief Minister further explained that the move was to stop young Indian men from continuing the cycle of violence. The oath demanded that they respect women.
The onus of stopping rape is on men, and having a conversation with the young men of this country is the first step towards correcting this defect.
He also asked the children about the rise in brutal incidents against women, and they came up with reasons like lack of fear among criminals and the absence of stringent laws.
Delhi home and society to support lakh student oath
The chief minister said that the issue of women’s safety is not discussed enough at home, which has led to the problem of taking a worse form in society.
Kejriwal requested the girls to talk to their brothers at home and take the same oath as the lakh students, and to warn them of the repercussions of such acts.
He also requested the teachers to conduct a one-hour classroom discussion on the experiences of students and the reactions of their family members on oath.
Delhi flawed legal system
The Chief Minister also addressed the flawed legal procedures which make justice a challenging goal for many survivors of sexual assault.
He suggested that the families should disown convicts and should not try to save them from punishment upholding the lakh student oath.
Kejriwal stressed that the government and the police must act upon such incidents, adding that they will also not be able to achieve anything until the mindset of the people changes.
He said that the convicts are not scared of the consequences of their actions and the cases filed against them usually take a long time to get resolved, and he urged the government to put in place more stringent laws.
He stated:
Strictest punishment in the least time will bring fear amongst people. We also often witness that the families of the victim dread going to the police for they think that they will come under the scanner. The police need to change their attitude toward the people.
