안녕하세요 라온아띠 10기 동티모르팀 권순걸입니다.

10기가 귀국한지도 벌써 네 달이 지났네요.(같은 소리는 집어치우고.)

저와 서울지역의 (몇몇)10기 친구들(보경, 현정, 규홍, 보람)과 함께 이전 기수(순규, 혜인, 조은)가 지난 3월부터 거창하게는 MDGs8번 '개발을 위한 국제 파트너십 구축'을 위한 모임, 조촐하게는 '영어기사 읽기 모임'(이라 쓰고 '술터디'라 읽는다.)을 진행하고 있습니다. 최근 아시아지역의 이슈들을 주로 다루며 영어로 된 기사를 읽고 함께 의견을 나누는 모임입니다. 이에 우리가 공부하는 글들을 여러분과 함께 공유할까 합니다.

 

(우리 모임은 매주 목요일 7시에 진행합니다. 연맹이 이사를 함에 따라 우리의 장소도 소공동을 떠나 합정과 홍대 사이로 이동을 합니다. 우리 모임은 1일 1뒷풀이를 원칙으로 하고 있습니다. 합정과 홍대 사이로 장소를 이동함으로써 더욱 활발한 뒷풀이가 되지 않을까 생각을 합니다. 우리 모임은 언제나 열려있습니다. 언제는 환영합니다. 관련 문의는 Off-Line으로만 받습니다. 오세요~)

 

이번 기사는 인도 성폭행에 관한 기사입니다. 2012년 12월 기사이기는 하지만 지금도 인도와 그 부근의 국가들에서 벌어지는 성폭행과 명예살인과 연관된 기사여서 함께 공부하고 의견을 나누었습니다.

기사의 내용은 2012년 12월에 있었던 여성이 버스에서 집단 성폭행을 당하고 사망한 사건을 계기로 인도 내 성폭행의 원인에 대해 분석한 것입니다. 이 기사에서는 인도에서의 성폭행의 원인으로 여성경찰의 부족, 충분하지 못한 경찰, 자극적인 옷차림을 비난하는 경향, 가정폭력의 수용, 공공 안전의 결핍, 피해자를 낙인찍는 것, 피해자와 가해자를 합의하도록 부추기는 것, 느린 사법체계, 거의 없는 유죄판결, 낮은 여성의 지위 등을 지적하고 있습니다.

기사를 함께 읽고 인도에서 라온아띠 활동을 했던 현정이와 함께 인도 내 공공화장실 부족과 특히 여성 화장실의 부족 등에 대해 이야기나누었습니다.

 

다음은 이 기사를 함께 읽고 이야기를 나눈 후의 각자 느낀점 입니다.

Srey nou - 여전히 식지 않는 '뜨거운 감자'. 매번 성에 관한 기사를 볼 때면 궁금해진다. 어떻게, 어디서부터 바로잡아야 할까? 같은 여성으로서 무언가 함꼐 바꾸어 나갈 방법이 없는 걸까?

익명 - 너무 매력적이고 가고 싶은 나라 중 하나이지만, 기사를 통해 느낀 것은 폐쇄적인 정부와 국민들에 대한 안타까움. 어서 빨리 인도의 이러한 문제가 해결되길... 나아가 아시아 전역에서 우리 여성의 인권이 지켜졌으면 좋겠다.

익명 - 여성 인권에 대한 인식 부족과 화장실 부족과 같은 물리적 환경의 열악함에 의해 빚어진 많은 성폭행 문제에 대한 인도 정치인들의 적극적인 개선 노력과더 폭넓은 교육이 필요한 것 같다.

순규 - 강간의 왕국(본문 두 번째 문단 첫 번째 문장)이라는 불명예에도 불구하고 인도에서는 지금도 강간 사건이 벌어지고 있따. 문제점에 대해서 모두가 인식하는 기미가 보이기는 하지만, 강간이 하나의 보이지 않는 문화가 되어버린 듯 하다. 남여와 인권에 대한 문제제기를 넘어서 사람드르이 내재된 폭력성과 무의식적인 행동에 대해 반성해야 되지 않을까?

Lino - 라온아띠를 준비하며 배웠던 End Poverty의 빈곤에 대해 다시 한 번 생각해보는 계기가 되었다. 경제적이고 물질적인 결핍에서 오는 빈곤 뿐만 아니라 만연한 폭력과 안전의부재, 열악한 사회 환경 또한 빈곤의 범주에 들어감을 다시 한 번 생각하게 되었다.

 

아래는 워싱턴포스트의 영어 기사 전문입니다. 함께 공부하고 생각을 나눠봤으면 좋겠습니다.

다음주에 만나요~

 

~By Olga Khazan December 29, 2012

The case of a 23-year-old medical student who died Saturday after a brutal gang rape on a bus in New Delhi has seemed to snap India to attention about its endemic sexual violence problem. Hundreds of Indians poured into the streets of New Delhi to mourn the young woman, and police announced that the six men arrested in connection with the attack had been charged with murder.

In recent years, New Delhi has earned the title of “rape capital” of India, with more than 560 cases of rape reported in the city, but violence against Indian women is widespread and has deep roots. Here's a look at some of the reasons behind the issue that's bringing Indians into the streets:

 

1. Few female police: Studies show that women are more likely to report sex crimes if female police officers are available. India has historically had a much lower percentage of female police officers than other Asian countries. In New Delhi, just 7 percent of police officers are women, and they are frequently given inconsequential posts that don't involve patrol duty, according to the Times of India. Of the 161 district police stations in Delhi, only one has a female station house officer.

When women do report rape charges to male police, they are frequently demeaned:

“The police refused to file a complaint. Instead, they asked my sister such vulgar details, it was as if she was being raped all over again,” Charanjit Kaur, the sister of another recent rape victim who committed suicide, told The Washington Post. “There was no lady police officer, they were all men. My sister cried in front of them and kept asking, ‘Would you still ask such questions if I were your daughter?’
As a result of the gang-rape incident, Delhi Police said they will launch a special effort to recruit more women.

 

2. Not enough police in general: There aren't enough police dedicated to protecting ordinary citizens, rather than elites, a Brookings article argues, and the officers that are available often lack basic evidence-gathering and investigative training and equipment:

Delhi, for example, is home to one of the largest metropolitan police forces in the world with some 84,000 officers. But only one-third are involved in any kind of actual “policing” at any given time, while the rest provide protection services to various politicians, senior bureaucrats, diplomats and other elites. According to the Times of India there is one officer for every 200 citizens and about 20 officers for every VIP. Many of those who do perform police duties can be found shaking down motorists, participating in protection rackets and simply looking the other way as crimes take place.

 

3. Blaming provocative clothing: There's a tendency to assume the victims of sexual violence somehow brought it on themselves. In a 1996 survey of judges in India, 68 percent of the respondents said that provocative clothing is an invitation to rape. In response to the recent gang-rape incident, a legislator in Rajasthan suggested banning skirts as a uniform for girls in private schools, citing it as the reason for increased cases of sexual harassment.

 

4. Acceptance of domestic violence: The Reuters TrustLaw group named India one of the worst countries in the world for women this year, in part because domestic violence there is often seen as deserved. A 2012 report by UNICEF found that 57 percent of Indian boys and 53 percent of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 think wife-beating is justified. A recent national family-health survey also reported that a sizable percentage of women blame themselves for beatings by their husbands.

“When a boy grows up seeing his father assault his mother, he starts to accept such a behavior and repeats it,” Anuradha Gupta, mission director for India’s National Rural Health Mission, was quoted as saying.

5. A lack of public safety: Women generally aren't protected outside their homes. The gang rape occurred on a bus, and even Indian authorities say that the country's public places can be unsafe for women. Many streets are poorly lit, and there's a lack of women's toilets, a Women and Child Development Ministry report said recently.

Women who drink, smoke or go to pubs are widely seen in Indian socirty as morally loose, and village clan councils have blamed a rise in women talking on cellphones and going to the bazaar for an increase in the incidence of rape.

 

6. Stigmatizing the victim: When verbal harassment or groping do occur in public areas, bystanders frequently look the other way rather than intervene, both to avoid a conflict and because they -- on some level -- blame the victim, observers say. Male politicians contribute to the problem, making statements that make light of rape or vilify rape victims' supporters.

One regional policymaker, Anisur Rahman, recently asked a female minister what "her fee" would be for getting raped. The son of India’s president also recently apologized after calling those protesting against the Delhi gang rape “highly dented and painted” women, who go “from discos to demonstrations,” the AP reported.

 

7. Encouraging rape victims to compromise: In a recent separate rape case, a 17-year-old Indian girl who was allegedly gang-raped killed herself after police pressured her to drop the case and marry one of her attackers.

Rape victims are often encouraged by village elders and clan councils to "compromise” with the family of accused and drop charges -- or even to  marry the attacker. Such compromises are aimed at keeping the peace between families or clan groups. What's more, a girl's eventual prospects of marriage are thought to be more important than bringing a rapist to justice.

8. A sluggish court system: India's court system is painfully slow, in part because of a shortage of judges. The country has about 15 judges for every 1 million people, while China has 159. A Delhi high court judge once estimated it would take 466 years to get through the backlog in the capital alone.

 

9. Few convictions: For rapes that do get reported, India’s conviction rate is no more than 26 percent. There is also no law on the books covering routine daily sexual harassment, which is euphemistically called "eve-teasing." The passing of a proposed new sexual assault law has been delayed for seven years.

 

10. Low status of women: Perhaps the biggest issue, though, is women's overall lower status in Indian society. For poor families, the need to pay a marriage dowry can make daughters a burden. India has one of the lowest female-to-male population ratios in the world because of sex-selective abortion and female infanticide. Throughout their lives, sons are fed better than their sisters, are more likely to be sent to school and have brighter career prospects.

 

In recent days, Indian politicians have put forward a slew of potential remedies for India's sexual violence problem. But it's worth noting that it will be hard to end discrimination against women at police stations when it starts in the crib.  

Lakshmi reported from New Delhi.