Protecting women

If one looks at the crime statistics in Bhutan then it will be clear that the biggest threat to safety of women in Bhutan are men.

Be it the Namgay Dolkar case or now the Sonam Choden case the perpetrators in both cases were men with the former being known to the victim and the latter being a stranger.

It is also becoming common place to hear of rape cases almost on a daily basis.

In the case of violent crimes against women it is not simply a case of law and order or more cops, but we as a people and society must change our still largely patriarchal mindset.

Women are not inferior and are not commodities to do with as you wish.

The education must start early and start at home where respect for the opposite sex must be inculcated.

Instead of just blaming girls for the dress they wear or the hour of the night, the bigger issue is on why our boys and men are not being brought up with the right values when it comes to women and what is lacking.

Our schools have to incorporate value education sessions that deals with these values at a young age.

Women in Bhutan have to firstly overcome outdated traditional norms that consider women as being inferior or somehow ‘unclean’ at times. It is time that we start doing away with such notions.

Boys must not only be taught to respect women but issues like healthy sexuality, sex education and other things must be tackled early on and taught in classrooms. Keeping a lid on such things will only lead it to explode.

We have to also do much better when it comes to protecting vulnerable women be it in terms of job opportunities or skilling programs for them.

If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.

Margaret Thatcher