Distant trauma: An existential crisis for women

Pages: 253-256
Heena Parveen (Noida International University Noida, Uttar Pradesh)
Roomana N. Siddiqui (Department of Psychology, Womens College Aligarh Muslim Univeristy, Aligarh, U.P.)

Empowerment of women, gender discrimination, equality of rights and violence against women are issues seriously debated in society and academia in contemporary times. Rising aspirations and the fast pace of development have exposed women to unlimited opportunities at the socio-economic, cultural and political level. Despites the changing status of women, there are no corresponding protective social systems and institutions of social justice to safeguard their interests. As a result they often have to come across insurmountable obstacles in the form of prejudices and insensitive institutions. With respect to their status there is still a wide gap between the theoretical possibilities and their actual realization. It is a common fact that crimes against women occur every minute, every day and throughout the year, though several such crimes go unreported. One such crime perpetrated against females is rape that not only is a physical assault but a traumatic experience for the victim. The irony of this crime is that a female is subjected to physical and emotional molestation and later on she has to face the stigma of being a raped female. The traumatic incident of gang rape of a young woman in Delhi on Dec 16, 2012 shocked the entire nation and has led to massive protest across the world. The case has provoked outrage and anger, especially amongst the youth and mainly young aspiring women. This incident served as a catalyst for young females as they could relate with the victim on an emotional and psychological level and could vicariously feel the trauma as never before. This paper attempts to address this vicarious traumatic experience of young females in the aftermath of the Delhi gang rape case and how it forced the youth to address their existential issues on the streets across the country.