Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore opposed capital punishment for rape saying death is neither the ultimate punishment nor a deterrent.“I don’t think death the ultimate punishment. It is not a deterrent because when the person is committing the crime, he thinks that he is not going to be caught.” “In southern states of America where death penalty exists there is the highest crime rate there, so it is not really a deterrent. Rigorous imprisonment for entire life is a better way of punishing somebody,” said the actress at a literary meet. Speaking at the discussion on ‘Will Capital Punishment for Rape Help or Hinder Justice?’, Sharmila felt that the report by the Justice J.S. Verma committee which was constituted following the Delhi gang-rape incident Dec 16 to look into rape laws was “wonderful” and had tried “to engage with the problem”. “At least Justice Verma has touched and tried to engage with the problem, and has heard the hurt, sentiment and the rage with the youth.” “But of course they have stepped back from passion and have covered this in this wonderful report desisting from the death penalty which is taking somebody’s life which is coming from the point of thinking that the state must establish an ethical standard of public morality because state cannot take somebody’s life,” she said. However, Sharmila also felt the report was silent on issues like the three-month trial period demanded by women rights groups. Praising the amendments that have been brought about in laws pertaining to women, she said: “They have taken away this cuddly, protectionist language and they are no longer calling it eve teasing or outrage to modesty or any of those awfully inadequate words. So the language is changing and they are calling rape as a rape.” But the real focus, according to her, should be on changing the mindset of people that sees women as “repositories of honour”. Touching on the social aspect, she said that there is a “business of shame and honour” which people associate with it. “Rape happens within the family-it is your father, it is your brother, your uncle, neighbours and relatives. So how many people are you going to kill so it is just not practical. “And then this shame and honour business which we all have got into and yes we are part of that patriarchy. Police is also part of that patriarchy,” said Tagore.
.
Synthetic intellectualism at best …
.
If we are not talking about a 'mandatory sentence', the answer is 'it depends' …
.
If a rape occurred in 'police custody', why the officer's throat won't be slit ???
If a person in power commits the crime, why can't he be offered a 'Vietnamese style animal sacrifice' ???
.
If she was true to her name she would not have opposed capital punishment for rape. Let her be raped once and she will neither be sharmila nor opponent of punishment for rape.
Shame and honour are so overwhelming – a woman can not admit that she enjoys having sex. If she does, she will be condemned for being a shameless slut and is punished for being one. It is as if having sexual desire is something completely unnatural and wrong. In societies where parents have to buy husbands for their daughters, the 'track record' of a woman has to be unblemished. If she has been having sex with other men she can never get married. In other societies the wedding night is important for other women, when the hymen is broken there is bleeding, the sheet on which blood is, is shown to other women, to confirm that she was a virgin prior to the wedding night. A woman trying to elope with her lover is gang raped. All these are acceptable behaviour.
But free will of women is not. A woman does not have the right to choose whom she wants to marry, with whom she wants to have sex with, whom she wants to get married to. This right has been taken away with. Her sexual relationship is no one's business except hers.
Strangely enough everyone wants to make it their business. A society is severely damaged when it is obsessed wth marriage, particularly arranged marriages. No one is concerned it that marriage is a happy one. Although divorce is allowed but it too, it is strictly taboo.
In an environment in which the freedom to have sex with with whomsoever she chooses, whenever she chooses as and when she chooses is considered crime. A moral crime, a sin, or some legal statute which says that a woman does not have a right to enjoy sex and have it without getting married.
Many woman who have had sex and is scared out of her mind if she is found out. Her only resort is to claim she was raped, although she had sex out of her own free will, not because she was forced into it. Many parents in order to protect their image, say that their daughter is still a child, she is innocent and knows nothing about sex and claim that she was raped. So there are many false rape claims.
Sex is very natural and normal. But it is treated as if it is something vile and disgusting. But this cannot stand for long. Doctors can tell the difference between consensual sex and rape.The repression is so intense a woman who talks dirty, uses expletives, cracks dirty jokes is considered someone of bad character, whereas women who never mention sex, avoid dirty jokes are considered a person of good character. Sexual commentary does not determine character. What determines character is honesty, kindness, love and affection. In order for society to grow, men and women should be given back their sexual rights. It is no one's business but their own.
Sharmilla Tagor does not like capital punishment for rapers,bcoz she does enjoy raping as OLD IS GOLD and rapist knows how to enjoy raper withe aweet will of womaen.
Her arguments are flawed —
It is a deterrent and should most definitely be the penalty (death) for a heinous act like rape. Here is why : it is not that the rapist doesn't think he'd be caught, it is the fear that if he IS caught, he's sure as dead.
On the other hand, her solution of "life imprisonment" is plainly put stupid and ineffective because if the rapist didn't think he'd be caught anyway, then why would he fear the "life imprisonment".
Comments are closed.