Rape has become a horrifying reality in the country, with multiple cases reported each day. A need to find a solution to this problem has become a necessity but appears to be a far-fetched idea when influential people make baseless remarks. Meena Kumari, a member of the Uttar Pradesh Women’s Commission, allegedly said girls should not be given mobile devices as it led to rapes.
“Girls talks with boys and later run away with them,” a report quoted Meena Kumari. The controversial remarks were made during a public hearing of complaints concerning women in the Aligarh district on Wednesday. Kumari’s response came in reply to questions about the sharp rise in alleged rape cases in the state. Kumari continued to urge parents, especially mothers, to keep their daughters under check as their careless approach leads to crimes against women.
Meanwhile, the UP Women’s Commission has opposing views. The Vice President of the Commission, Anju Chaudhary, termed Kumari’s statement as wrong, stating that denying girls mobile phones is not a solution to sexual violence against them. “Instead of saying that we should not give mobile phones to girls, we should be teaching them not to chat with strangers and educate them on the safe use of mobile phones,” the report quoted Chaudhary.
Kumari later tried to clarify, saying girls from villages don’t know “how to use phones in the right way.” She said girls use phones to make friends with males, run away, and also use the device to watch inappropriate content. When questioned on how mobile phones are linked to rape, she added, “On a daily basis, I hear complaints of at least 20 women and 5-6 cases are related to friendships on phones and its fallouts. In some cases, girls were lured and then sexually abused.