A few good men: Indian men share their views on the way forward for women's safety in India

Pic/istock

‘Social interaction between opposite sexes from childhood is must'
Kishore Banan, 47

"Assault against women stems from a lack of normalisation regarding the opposite sex. Many men in India view women as unattainable objects meant only for physical gratification. Normalisation will only happen through social interaction with the opposite sex initiated from a young age. Such a system will make a man view a woman as a person first and of the opposite gender second."

‘Indian men have a long way to go'
Parth Satam, 38

"When I started living with my partner, I saw the world through her eyes - the fact that you have to plan ahead about what mode of transport you can use at night, or if there are women in your work team, how employers deal with sexual harassment cases. And mainstream feminist discourse is yet to even factor in how caste plays into such violence. We are not sensitised to how a girl/woman thinks and feels. I think it is high time that men start joining their local NGOs finding and lending a hand in their already existing programmes and not go in and think we know more or better. Along with protesting alongside, we must do this as well."

‘It's time to have difficult conversations'
Rishi Pinjani, 22

"I feel like the idea of sex is very messed up in India. We don't know what sex is because we never talk about it and the idea of consent never comes up. That's why it's vital to teach boys how to be sensitive at an early age. We seem to be raising bullies, but miserably failing at teaching boys how to be sensitive, respectful, and how to be an equal and not an entitled brat. But most importantly, have the difficult conversations with your kids and tell them about sex."

‘Stick more than the carrot'
Pratham Mrabhakar, 21

"The key factor is exposure to education and culture so women are seen as equal to men.
In my opinion, Indians require the stick more than the carrot. Perhaps draconian, but longer, fixed prison sentences might deter sexual predators. Convicted perpetrators must be on a sex offenders registry open to the public, and once done with the prison term, it should be mandatory for them to declare their past conviction for any employment and education. In case of repeat offences, or extreme cases leading to the death of the victim, there should be court-ordered emasculation. The culture of shame around rape should flip from the victim the perpetrator."

‘Place restrictions on men, and not on women'
Sagar Sodah, 36

"I think men shouldn't be out after dark. Men should be escorted by women everywhere and be called out for their behaviour publicly. If that sounds insane, just stop and think about what it must feel like for a woman. We should contribute equally to the mental load at home. It's our fight too; the fight to build an equal and safe world."