Over 22 lakh students in Delhi's private and government schools were administered oath that they will respect women and not violate their dignity, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on on Monday, 23 December.
Kejriwal requested that the girls to talk to their brothers at home and take the same oath, and to warn them of the repercussions of such acts.
He also requested the teachers to conduct a one-hour classroom discussion on the experiences of students and the reactions of their family members on the oath.
“The police and the law and order have to be corrected. CCTV cameras and street lights are also being introduced. But the mindset of the society has to be changed. We have to create a city where women can get out of the house without fear even at night,” he said in a tweet after the programme.
Kejriwal Talks to Students About Rise in Crimes Against Women
The chief minister said that the issue about women's safety is not even discussed at home which has led to the issue taking a worse form.
While stressing that the government and the police must act upon such incidents, Kejriwal said they will also not be able to achieve anything until the mindset of the people undergoes a change.
To encourage the participation of students in the discussion, he asked them to address the reasons and devise solutions to stop crimes.
He also asked the children about the rise in brutal incidents against women, and they came up with reasons like lack of fear among criminals and absence of stringent laws.
A student also said that women often succumb to peer pressure and do not report such incidents to the police because of the society and indifference of the police against women.
Kejriwal said that the convicts are not scared of the consequences of their actions and the cases filed against them usually take a long time to get resolved, and he stressed on the need for stringent laws.
“Strictest punishment in the least time will bring fear amongst people. We also often witness that the families of the victim dread going to the police for they think that they will come under the scanner. The police need to change their attitude toward the people,” he added.
The chief minister said that people need to be sensitive about such issues and think about the repercussions of such incidents on their family members.
Instead of saving the convicts from the punishment, families should disown the convicts to make them realize their faults. “People will not commit such crimes out of the fear of losing their families,” he said.
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