Come Together to Protest

I just read the article "Rape in India Condemned at Hamilton Women's Rights Vigil" by Adam Carter. Even the smartest, strongest professors, including Rama Singh, are shocked by the news of the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old on December 16. On December 16, a woman and her male companion boarded a bus illegally after watching Life of Pi at an upscale mall in India. On the bus, the two were attacked for hours, including a gang rape. Both were dumped on the side of the road and the woman had injuries that later proved to be fatal. She died two weeks later in a Singapore hospital. 36 peace groups attended a rally in Hamilton, Canada that planed for social change. Many of these groups focused on empowering Indian women and changing the male mindset to help support women. This is a turning point in women's rights. Since then, rapes have gone from being ignored to being front-page news, the government has set up an easy way for women to report rape, and harsher punishments for rape are being considered. Virbala Kumar, who spoke at the Hamilton rally, said that most women in India don't report rape because there is great shame associated with it. Also, India's court's cases often linger for years, and Virbala Kumar said, "Justice delayed is justice denied."  When justice takes too long to happen, justice ends up just not occurring because they have waited too long.

I think that Adam Carter wants me to feel disturbed. He does this by creating horrific images (that I won't include, but they're in the 5th paragraph of the article). These images make me feel upset and scared. This supports Carter's point that nobody should be treated that way. Near the middle of the article, Carter wants me to feel hopeful. He includes a list of things that have improved because of this event. He says, "Rapes, often ignored, have become front-page news, politicians have called for tougher laws, including the death penalty...And the government is examining wide-scale reforms in the criminal justice system's handling of sexual assaults." By spreading awareness and demanding change, India's government is changing for the better. This makes me feel hopeful because it shows me that bad systems can change.

Carter wants me to walk away thinking that even though sometimes awful events occur, if people stand together to protest, things can always change. Carter supports this by saying "36 different local human rights and peace groups attended the rally in Hamilton to try to plan for social change both abroad and at home." All different people are working together. This shows that people are joining forces and making a change. Carter then includes everything that has changed since the woman died, showing what can come out of working to make a change after a tragic event.

Personally, I am very motivated by this article. I am angered and disgusted that such a violent action happened. I think that it serves as a reminder that women's rights and equality have not been settled. If women are still being sexually abused, that means that the world is not fair or just towards them. However, I am inspired that so many groups and people got together to protest. Seeing the improvements that have happened so far gives me hope, but we can't stop yet. People must revolt against violence towards women until rape does not occur, until it is easy to report abuse, and until there are terrible punishments for it. We have come far, but there is so much room to grow.