Freedom to express; What about action?

-Caelean Aleena Tavares

#JUSTICEFORASIFA Have you heard of this hashtag? Roughly a year ago, it was circulating on everyones social media. The purpose of it was to catch the media attention towards the plight of the situation, involve the law and yes, seek justice for Asifa. Needless to say the media caught hint of it, soon it was published in every newspaper, every tabloid, every news channel and soon it died down. Countless, numerous, multiple stories have been a part of this cycle: it catches our attention and then it is forgotten about.

Some celebrity will even tweet about it, probably saying: “When will this end. Stop committing crimes against the future of our country. Against women. #JusticeForXYZ” Obviously the tweet will garner certain likes, retweets, comments and then that’s about it. A famous and possibly retired columnist will write about the incident. A satirical take about the minister who said it was the girls fault. Her clothing was much too revealing. It will circulate on WhatsApp. It will garner certain amount of chai pe charcha and the columnist will be invited back with a raise.

Ask yourself this, how many times have you been a part of this vicious cycle? Yes we feel for Asifa, Nirbhaya and the countless other nameless, faceless victims that are prey to these agonising ordeals. We feel for their families, their loved ones. And that’s all. We just feel. Once in a blue moon, if it’s a major case, an NGO will organise a candle march. Hordes of people will participate, they’ll walk with posters and shout slogans. Isn’t this freedom of expression. Good ol’ harmless freedom of expression. Non-violent marches, Facebook posts, retweets and a newspaper column. We fell, we talk, we express and it ends. Would you consider freedom of expression to be a boon or a bane? It painfully reminds us of how much more there is to work for, while simultaneously of how much little we’ve actually done. Through social mediums we’re constantly in touch with other peoples feeling and thoughts. We have solidarity and make no mistake it is of so much importance especially to a growing nation such as ours, and with solidarity there is hope.

There is no action, but there is always hope for action. Faye D’souza will even debate about it, urging politicians with every word to take action, but they continue not to give us any answer, because they have none to give. An anecdote that I came across read, the greatest threat to humanity is the sentiment that someone else will take charge. This fear of accountability is what still prevents India from moving past the third world country line. It’s time we start taking responsibility, start taking action, start taking our duty seriously. It’s time not only to express but it’s also time to work on that expression. Will the girl being eve teased feel safer simply with a promise of a police complaint, or with an actual restraining order. Almost 70% of perpetrators walk away without even so much as a slap on the wrist. We owe it to the generations ahead of us, to try to make this world a better place for them to live in. Every victim is someones sister, son, daughter, brother, how long before the victim is one of yours?

Another anecdote that I came across, which was a meme in all probability was: in the 1800’s we starved, in the 1900’s we fought wars, and in the 2000’s we get offended. And it’s time to harness it: YOU FREEDOM TO EXPRESS, for it wasn’t necessarily made simply for expression.