©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

This morning, as our honourable Prime Minister hoisted the Indian flag at the Red Fort in celebration of the 78th Independence Day, the celebration felt hollow for nearly half of this country’s population which is constituted by women. What we feel today is profound sadness and a collective despair that overshadows any sense of pride.

A brilliant young lady doctor was recently raped and brutally killed while on duty in her workplace. This incident has shaken us to our core and struck a personal chord with every one of us because it could have been any of us. During my residency, I too have walked through dark, isolated corridors in the dead of night. I have faced intoxicated patients, confronted families who burned their daughters-in-law for dowry, dealt with enraged relatives demanding miracles for their terminally ill loved ones, and endured threats from mobs ready to vandalize the hospital. Security was minimal, and the lack of basic amenities was glorified as a character-building exercise.

Yes, I have survived to see this 78^th Independence Day, but only by sheer luck. In this broken system, I am merely a statistical survivor with my safety a matter of luck rather than any kind of systemic protection. I guess as Indian women, ultimately, we are all statistical survivors who get to live more by chance than by design.

As we enter the third decade of the 21st century, it feels as though we are taking one step forward and two steps back in our pursuit of gender equality and the safety of women. Today we are ambitiously reaching for the stars and striving for greatness, yet more than ever we remain bound by the persistent chains of misogyny and patriarchy. The dichotomy was never more defined and clearer.

• It is pathetic that instead of strengthening our laws, we tell girls to be more cautious.
• It is shameful that instead of punishing the perpetrators, we ask women to avoid going out alone in the dark.
• It is infuriating that we teach daughters to live in fear rather than teaching sons to respect women.
• It is outrageous that victims are often blamed for the violence inflicted upon them, while their attackers are shielded by a culture of silence and complicity.
• It is disgraceful that a woman’s character is questioned in courtrooms, while the character of her assailant is conveniently overlooked.
• It is devastating that parents must weigh the risks of educating their daughters against the fear of losing them to violence.
• It is sad that even today, rapists can exploit loopholes in our system and roam free.
• It is sickening that it takes eight long years to resolve even fast-track, high-profile rape cases like that of “Nirbhaya”.
• It is unforgivable that society has allowed the normalization of fear and insecurity in the lives of women.
• It is disheartening that the cries for justice from countless victims and their families continue to fall on deaf ears.
• It is shameful that, time and again, the burden of shame always falls on the girl, while the real culprits walk away unscathed.

In this relentless tug-of-war, women are the ultimate losers, unable to fight against the dreadful societal forces that continuously undermine their progress and potential. We are a nation that claims to be progressing, yet we fail to protect and respect half of our population. On this 78th Independence Day, we deserve more than empty promises and delayed justice. We deserve a society that values our safety as much as our potential.

It is agonizing to even think of the pain that the victim’s parents will have to endure for the rest of their lives. The countless dreams that they must have had for their daughter have been crushed in the most brutal manner.

I don’t know how we can celebrate Independence Day today?

Our enemies are no longer the British; they lie within our own society, and we must seek freedom from these internal threats to truly honour our independence.