Increase in Sexual Violence and Decline in Moral Values is a Serious Issue for the Country: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Women’s Wing
New Delhi : A month-long nationwide campaign is set to be launched by the Women’s Wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind in September 2024. The theme of this campaign is ‘Morality is Freedom.’ The objective of this campaign is to raise awareness among people and inform them about what true freedom is and how it is linked to morality,” said Rahamathunnissa A, National Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, at a press conference held at the headquarters in New Delhi.
Expressing regret over the increasing incidents of sexual violence and homicide targeting women and girls in the country, she stated, “Social inequality, neglect of security, and discrimination against women in our society have further complicated this issue. Particularly, the cases of sexual violence against marginalized women, Dalits, Adivasis, minorities, and disabled women are even more severe. Recent incidents, such as the rape and murder of a female doctor at RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata (West Bengal), the gang rape and murder of a 14-year-old Dalit girl in Gopalpur (Bihar), the rape and brutal murder of a Muslim nurse in Udham Singh Nagar (Uttarakhand), and the sexual assault of two kindergarten girls at a school in Badlapur (Maharashtra), prove that there is a serious need to reflect on the mentality and behavior towards women and girls in our country.” She added, “The statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) show that crimes against women are increasing year by year. These reports only include the cases that have been reported; who knows how many cases go unreported. How much struggle do women have to go through to get justice? The Bilkis Bano case, in which she was gang-raped during the 2002 Gujarat massacre, is a stark example. She fought a long and hard battle to get justice.”
Rahamathunnissa further stated, “The mindset of violence against women has spread like an epidemic, affecting the peace and progress of our nation. The root cause of this curse is the decline of moral values under the guise of unrestricted freedom. The lack of moral values in society, viewing women as objects, sexual exploitation and abuse, vulgarity, extramarital affairs, and the growing use of alcohol and drugs, all contribute to harassment and exploitation. Additionally, the increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), abortions, sexual violence, and rape, as well as the breakdown of the family unit and the normalization of indecency, are rapidly destroying the moral fabric of society. Moreover, the growing influence of communal and caste-based politics, viewing certain communities and castes as inferior, and the desire to maintain dominance over them have worsened the situation. Criminals and accused individuals are often portrayed as heroes for political and material gains, when in fact, they should be condemned.”
Speaking about the nationwide campaign titled ‘Morality is the Guarantee of Freedom,’ Shaista Rafat, National Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, said, “It cannot be denied that true life and sustainable freedom can only be achieved by adhering to moral values. The aim of this campaign is to ensure the required freedom to meet basic needs and secure fundamental rights for everyone, regardless of caste, creed, color, gender, religion, or region. During this campaign, awareness programs will be organized at the national, state, district, and regional levels in collaboration with educators, counselors, lawyers, religious scholars, and community leaders. Special programs will be conducted on campuses to introduce students and youth to true freedom and moral values. To bring common moral values into public discourse, special programs will be organized by involving scholars from different religions.” The conference was moderated by Rabia Basri, Assistant National Secretary.
