-By Rudrangshi Saha
Since its inception in 1895, feminism has been a dynamic force, a spectrum of movements aimed at securing parity between the sexes. From championing equal rights and fair pay to advocating for a share in property, women have forged an enduring struggle. Yet, within the resounding chorus of feminism, the discordant note of pseudo-feminism emerges, where the echoes of men's plights are drowned out and forgotten.
In this discourse, we take a deliberate step back from the exclusive focus on women, redirecting attention to the glaring injustices embedded in Indian society and legal provisions that disproportionately impact men.
Starting off, an epitome of pseudo-feminism lies in the perplexing tax policies where women enjoy a higher income exemption bracket, leaving men to shoulder a disproportionate tax burden. Equality in earnings should translate to equal tax responsibilities, because why should "men always pay the bill"? Yet the scales tip unfairly in the name of gender.
Moreover, our Constitution harbours numerous laws that empower some women to extract money from unsuspecting men and trap them in a web of legal manoeuvres driven by revengeful motives.
In an ideal application of feminism, justice would categorize victims solely based on their shared experience, erasing distinctions of gender. Unfortunately, the Indian Family Courts and Criminal Courts reveal an unjust and immoral partiality towards women, where legal frameworks are manipulated to benefit one gender over the other, for when it comes to child custody battles, women often emerge as the favoured party, leaving the fathers in shadows, their plight brushed aside and forgotten.
A similar imbalance prevails in cases of sexual assault or harassment, where the woman's testimony holds unparalleled weight, painting the man as a criminal before any trial begins. It is undoubtedly true that some men are indeed guilty, but we can't ignore the innocent who find themselves caught in the crossfire with their reputation tarnished just because the woman's words turn into a gospel. Is this the face of feminism we intended?
In a society shackled by patriarchal norms, the muffled screams of male victims stay unheard, drowned in the notion that 'How can a man be beaten by a woman?' The absence of provisions and laws for men enduring domestic violence mirrors the prevailing bias. Discussing male rape is still a taboo within a society that stifles the very mention of such horrors. India's legal landscape further exacerbates the issue. Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code defines rape solely in the context of women, dismissing the painful reality that a significant portion of rape, molestation, and sexual violence victims are men. Such cases find themselves relegated to charges of sodomy, a legal distortion that fails to recognize the male victim and holds no place for a female offender.
Government data reveals that over 50% of child sexual abuse victims are boys, with the majority of males enduring these horrors between the tender ages of 5 and 15. To compound the tragedy, approximately 60% of these victims experience the unspeakable violation more than once and 41.2% of such cases stand unspoken or reported about.
Furthermore, a survey conducted on men in India lays bare a distressing truth—approximately 1 in 5 males face rape or molestation at least once in their lives wherein the perpetrators are mostly women.
Extensive research has demonstrated that male survivors of sexual assault endure psychological effects parallel to their female counterparts. Both genders grapple with the harrowing aftermath, often manifesting in rape trauma syndrome and PTSD. However, the societal expectation of men as pillars of emotional strength and stoicism adds another layer of complexity to their struggles.
It is high time that we confront and address the challenges faced by survivors of all genders, dismantling stereotypes and fostering a more inclusive approach to healing. As we champion justice for one gender, let's not forget that true equality demands recognition and protection for all victims, regardless of their gender.
"We cannot succeed when the half of us are held back." -Malala Yousafzai
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