Supreme Court notes need for sensitisation to curb crimes against women

MUMBAI: Supreme Court on Tuesday underscored the need for greater sensitisation to curb rape against women. Hearing a PIL filed by a senior advocate from Mumbai, Aabad Ponda, who said sensitisation must extend beyond schools and include the uneducated and those who live on the fringes of society, bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma orally said women's vulnerability is beyond men's comprehension.Justice Nagarathna said, "The only thing we request is to leave women alone..., not monitor, not restrain, just let them be. Let them grow; that's all the women of this country are asking." She also said, "Whether in cities or rural areas, the vulnerability of women is something men will never understand. The feeling a woman experiences the moment she steps onto a street, a bus, or a railway station with the constant burden of ensuring her own safety is an additional mental load she carries alongside her responsibilities at home, at work, and in society."SC was informed of steps govt was taking that included value-based education and public awareness initiatives to tackle gender-based violence, especially sexual assault and rape. It granted Centre three weeks to file a comprehensive affidavit outlining existing modules and proposed steps after its senior counsel said NCERT, which has a separate panel for curriculum, may need to be made a party and heard as well. Ponda said despite India's robust legal framework and stringent laws, rape as an offence is rising, reflecting a failure of deterrence, law enforcement, awareness, and inculcation of morals.Ponda, in his submissions via video conferencing, said awareness and sensitisation “cannot be limited to schools.” “Sensitisation must take place at the level of local self-governments, media, and through broadcasts, seminars, and public advertisements,” Ponda contended, arguing that despite formal education, many individuals demonstrate regressive and harmful attitudes towards women. Ponda said his prayers in the PIL are to have public sensitisation.