Bhumi Satish Pednekkar has always raised her voice amid concerns that matter and affect society at large. Amid the ongoing gruesome cases of rapes and gender-based violence, Pednekkar says “impunity” is a part of the problem where rapes and gender-based violence are becoming “an accepted reality in the society.”
“WE HAVE A PROBLEM,” says Bhumi directly. “Rape and gender-based violence are becoming an accepted reality in our society. And that should terrify all of us. HOW IS THIS NOT A STATE OF EMERGENCY? A 16-year-old gang-raped. A 3-year-old sexually assaulted. And how many more cases remain unreported, unheard and unseen? How much is it going to take for us to call this an emergency? There is a deep-rooted patriarchal sickness in our society that we need to confront,” she adds.
The actress emphasises that the problem is not a matter of clothes or the size of her skirt of neckline, or which place she is in. “We see young boys making lewd gestures openly in public, sexualising and violating even statues!!!! We hear of children as young as 12 being involved in sexual assault of a minor girl child. IT IS NOT ABOUT WHAT SHE IS WEARING. Not her clothes. Not her skirt. Not her neckline. Not where she was. Not what time it was. It is about the ideology that teaches entitlement over another person’s body. TEACH OUR BOYS. DON’T CAGE OUR GIRLS. We cannot keep teaching girls how to dress, where to go and how to prepared violence,” she states.
Pednekkar mentions that the emphasis needs to incline more towards teaching consent, respect, equality, boundaries and accountability to boys. “IMPUNITY IS PART OF THE PROBLEM. Perpetrators need to fear the law. Justice cannot take years while survivors carry the consequences for a lifetime. We need-Fast-track courts, Time-bound investigations, Speedy judgments, Strong implementation of the law,” she concludes and urges that the safety and dignity of women and children are made a national priority.
