How could they do this inhuman activity? How could they mutilate her body parts and forcefully rape and murder her? How could the government hurry the cremation without letting her family to see her for the last time? Did the law or government not feel anything when her mother’s cry was muted? Where are her constitutional rights? Could feminist voices bring her justice?
These questions disturb me. They take my sleep away. When I heard the gangrape and murder by dominant caste men on Dalit girl in Hathras, I raged with anger. Though it disturbed the country for a while, rapes on Dalit women are never new; as Dalit women bodies are least considered as bodies with dignity, humanity and reason.
Being positioned at the bottom of the caste hierarchy, atrocities against Dalit women bodies are normalized and unnoticed. They face physical assault, rape, sexual exploitation, forced prostitution, religiously sanctioned prostitution, kidnapping and abduction, child sexual abuse, naked parade and domestic violence from natal and marital family members. Atrocities against the Dalit women, happens everywhere under the sky which clearly explains the ‘no safe place’ for the Dalit women.
Body plays a major role in women’s oppression. Body as a surface on which social law, morality and values are inscribed. It becomes marks of one’s social location and positioning. When bodies are given caste, gender, race and class, the violence on bodies worsen. The caste system declares Dalit women to be intrinsically impure and ‘untouchable’, sanctioning social exclusion and exploitation.
When Dalits resist oppression, land-grabbing, forced labour or sexual assault along with brutal violence is expected. The understanding of Women's bodies and sexualities as the honour of the family and community makes Dalit women weapons in the hands of ruling caste; to silence the Dalit community and also reject the worthiness of their bodily existence to locate them in forever subordinate position. Moreover, Dalit women's sexuality is treated as a property, anytime accessible for the dominant. Victim-shaming serves as another weapon by both dominant caste and also Dalit communities to silence and to further oppress them.
The “Constitution of India” promises equality, security and freedom for every citizen regardless of religion, class, caste, and gender and we do have Christian Theology that proclaims equality in the image of God but has it been a reality in the lives of Dalit women? They are treated as polluted bodies due to which their bodies continue to suffer under ‘Brahmanical patriarchy’ led society and Church, aren't they? Is our aspiration towards equal ‘humanhood of all’ real? When the bodies crying out of pain and suffering, are made invisible and unheard. They continue to face normalized violence and defined 'lower' status. When Church becomes silent on sexism and casteism; church compromises the injustices and violence against them.
When Dalit women bodies are reduced to sexual gratification, their existence and personhood in God is murdered. The God in Dalit women bodies is silenced, abused, raped, muted, dirtied and victim shamed and these bodily experiences of Dalit women become starting point for Dalit women God-talk. Their experiences need to be retold again and again and not victim-shamed. It is to realize injustice done on their bodies and it is to regain their dignity and humanity and equality of Dalit women bodies.
Prayer
God of Justice, we have been quiet when Dalit woman around us suffer. We ask you to set our hearts on fire and to give us a restless mind so that we might be troubled and break the walls of our comfort to work in solidarity with those of our Dalit sisters who undergo pain. Amen.
Author: Shobha
About the Author: Shobha hails from Bangalore, Karnataka. She belongs to the Mar Thoma Church. She has completed Bachelor of Divinity from Dharma Jyoti Vidhya Peeth, Faridabad. She completed her Master of Theology from the United Theological College, Bangalore. She worked as a faculty in the Dharma Jyoti Vidhya Peeth, Faridabad, in the department of Theology and Ethics. Currently she is in the Church ministry along with her husband.
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