the goan I network
PANAJI
The social arm of the Goa Archdiocese has called for the abolition of organisations that “advocate the ideology of hate” in the wake of the attempts to protect and defend rapists, which they said had “the tacit corroboration of the concerned governments in protecting the rapists and denying justice to the rape victims and their families.”
In a statement to the media, Fr Savio Fernandes the executive secretary of the Council for Social Justice and Peace, while not naming any particular organisation, said that calling for tougher punishment for rapists may hardly be enough.
“The actual response should be to abolish organisations that advocate the ‘ideology of hate’ and ‘subjugation of women’ that perpetuate rape, lynching and killings of fellow citizens in the name of community honour, religion and nationalism,” Fr Fernandes said adding that the “reactionary approach with a clamour for tough rape laws and the harshest punishments like death penalty or castration for the rapists may hardly be sufficient deterrent for crimes against women and children.”
“The growing trend in the country to justify crimes committed against certain sections of society by using garb of nationalism has generated fear and insecurity among the citizens,” Fr Fernandes said.
“The failure of law enforcing agencies in timely registering rape cases and bold connivance of their personnel in destroying circumstantial evidence to subvert the process of justice is most worrisome for any peace-loving citizen,” he added.
The CSJP has said that the tactic of rapes, lynching and killings by certain ideological groups to humiliate and terrorise certain sections of society by taking advantage of their sympathisers in power “is in no way reflective of the rich ancient culture of peace, tolerance and inclusiveness which Indian society is always
proud of.”
The CSJP has called on the Prime Minister to “eliminate the growing ideology of hate and subjugation of women within the country which undermines constitutional values.”
The CSJP has also referred to the “shameless and audacious attempts” from lawyers to prevent the filing of the charge sheet and to disrupt the functioning of courts in order to protect the accused rapists poses a grave threat to the sanctity of democratic institutions in this country.
