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Reports of girls and young women brutally assaulted by their families recently made headlines in India.
The incidents also highlighted the insecurity of girls and women in their own homes.
Last week, Neha Pasouan, 17 years old, would have been beaten to death by members of her family in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, because they didn’t like me wearing jeans.
Her mother, Shakuntala Devi Paswan, told BBC India that her grandfather and uncles brutally beat the teenager with sticks after an argument over her clothes at their home in the village of Savreji Kharg in the district of Deoria, one of the least developed regions. of State.
“She had observed a religious fast all day. At night, she would put on jeans and a blouse and perform her rituals,” her mother said.
“When her grandparents objected to her outfit, Neha replied that the jeans were made to be worn and that she would wear them that way,”
The discussion escalated, resulting in violence.
Shakuntala Devi said that while her daughter lay unconscious, her in-laws called a motorcycle taxi and said they would take her to hospital.
“They didn’t want me to go with them, so I alerted my relatives who went to the district hospital to look for her, but they couldn’t find her.”
The next morning, they heard the body of a girl hanged from the bridge over the Gandak River. When they went to investigate, they found it was Neha’s.
Police presented murder and destruction of evidence case against ten people, including grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and the motorcycle taxi driver.
The defendants have yet to make any public statement.
Shakuntala Devi (right) tries to figure out why her daughter was killed
A senior police official, Shriyash Tripathi, told BBC India that four people, including grandparents, an uncle and the driver, had been arrested and questioned. Police are still looking for the remaining defendants.
Neha’s father, Amarnath Paswan, who works on construction sites in Ludhiana, a town in Punjab, and who had returned home to deal with the tragedy, said he had worked hard to send his children to the school, including Neha.
Shakuntala Devi said her daughter wanted to be a police officer, but “her dreams will not come true now”.
She alleged that her in-laws pressured Neha to drop out of school at a local school and often berated her for not wearing traditional Indian clothes.
Neha liked to dress in modern outfits. Two of the photos her family shared with the BBC showed her in a maxi dress on one and a pair of jeans and a jacket on the other.
Activists claim that the violence against women and girls in their homes (in a society rooted in patriarchy) is deeply rooted and that it is often raped by the elders of the families.
Girls and women in India face serious threats, ranging from the risk of feticide (even before birth due to a preference for male children), discrimination and neglect.
Domestic violence is endemic and, on average, 20 women die every day for not having contributed enough.
Jeans are the dress choice for many young Indians, but conservative communities forbid girls to wear them
Girls and women in small towns and rural areas of India live under severe restrictions, with village chiefs or family patriarchs often dictating what to wear, where they are going or who they can talk to.
Any perceived misstep is considered a provocation and should be punished.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Neha’s alleged assault over her choice of clothing is just one of many reported brutal attacks on young people by family members that have recently shocked the country.
Last month a heartbreaking video showed 20-year-old tribal woman who was beaten by her father and three cousins in Alirajpur, in the neighboring state of Madhya Pradesh.
Following the outrage, police filed a complaint against the attackers, who claimed the woman was “punished” for fleeing her “violent” home.
A week before the incident, two girls were beaten ruthlessly to his relatives in the neighboring Dhar district for talking on the phone with a cousin.
Videos of the incident showed one of the girls dragged by the hair, thrown to the ground, kicked and repeatedly beaten with sticks and wooden planks by her parents, brothers and cousins.
Police arrested seven people after the video went viral.
Another similar incident occurred, also last month, in the state of Gujarat, where two teenagers were beaten by at least 15 men, including family members, for speaking on a cell phone, police said.
Activist Rolly Shivhare denounces: “It is shocking that in the 21st century we are killing and assaulting girls for wearing jeans or talking on cell phones.
Patriarchy, he says, is “one of the biggest problems in India” and notes that politicians, leaders and influencers they often make misogynistic comments They set a bad example, preventing the message of gender equality from permeating the community and families.
“The government says girls are our priority and announces big plans for their well-being, but nothing is happening on the ground,” says Shivhare.
In Western countries, a child or woman in distress in their home may be transferred to a shelter or placed in a foster home.
“Shelters and crisis centers in India are scarce and most are so poorly managed that no one would want to settle there,” says Shivhare.
“Our government must allocate more funds and improve its condition,” said Shivhare. “But the only long term solution is to make girls more aware of their rights.”
With information from Rajesh Kumar Arya of Deoria for BBC India.
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