Let’s End This Culture Of Violence

A Baha’i Perspective

We are trapped in a culture where violence against women and girls – as in the recent Delhi gang rape case illustrates in the extreme – is an everyday occurrence. Such violence is ultimately an act of aggression against whole of society, brutalising the very fabric of life. Law and policy are indeed important instruments to enable curtailing of violence, but more fundamental changes in culture, attitude and belief is required at every level of society. These need to be grounded in the conviction that gender equity is not a mere goal to be achieved, but is a basic necessity to enable us to realise our true nature as human beings.

The soul has no gender. Gender has nothing to do with the essence of what make us human. Equality is much more than a tally of resources or a set of social norms.  It reflects the nobility inherent in every one of us.

Gender violence and discrimination is one of the symptoms of a social order riven by conflict, injustice and insecurity. Its structures and processes are proving to be incapable of serving the common good. While we demand justice and demonstrate our anguish, we must not lose sight of the broader, long-term goal: to create conditions where women and men can work together towards a just and equitable social order.

We need to revisit our conceptions of power and empowerment. The perception of power as ‘power over’ must be replaced with the concept of ‘power to’—power as capacity of the individual or the collective. Such power that comes from the bonds of solidarity and mutual concern, that emanates from unity of thought and action, promoting justice, honesty, and integrity.

Preventive measures against violence are as important as punitive ones, for the former would be long lasting. Both at home and workplaces, men need to respect women as fellow human beings instead of exercising power over them. When there is power imbalance in the family that tilts in favour of the male, it promotes the same in children who carry forward to the future, the inequality and injustice.

Prevention of violence must begin by identifying and addressing the underlying causes of violence rather than its symptoms. Prevention programmes and societal transformation must go hand in hand.  Such transformation involves change in attitude, culture, community life, and in structures that sustain and ‘normalise’ violence and exploitation.

One way for social transformation is through education and training of children and youth in a manner that cultivates in them a sense of dignity as well as responsibility for the wellbeing of their family members and wider community. Drawing on the worldwide Baha'i community’s experience in promoting social transformation, we note a number of elements in educational endeavours that support such transformation: a conviction that happiness and honour lie in integrity; the ability to act with moral courage, to participate in non-adversarial decision-making, excellence in a productive skill to meet one’s needs with dignity, to analyse social conditions and understand forces that shape them, to express ideas eloquently and wisely, and to foster collaboration and focus on community service. While we need to promote girls’ access to quality education, boys need to be sensitised to gender equity issues. 

Any custom, tradition, or religious interpretation that sanctions any form of gender violence should be shunned. Government should be accountable where gender equity is not upheld in official policy and procedures. The individual, her family and community are under the protection of the State; so providing a safe and secure public environment is a State duty.