Totally Disgusting

   That's the nice way of putting it after a case in Delhi, India sparked worldwide outrage. A 23 year old woman was gang raped on a moving bus in that city by 6 men, who then threw her out of the still moving vehicle. She was taken to Singapore for specialized treatment of head and other injuries I won't go into. She died there Saturday, local time. The 6 "men" have now been charged with murder, along with sexual assault.
   This has drawn attention to a larger problem on the sub-continent, where women are routinely treated worse than dogs. Female fetuses are routinely aborted, infant girls are routinely killed, women are routinely raped, tortured and killed. No wonder India is one of the worst places to be born female. And the reason behind this? A man simply wants sons. Not daughters.
   The most horrendous part of this is no one intervened. None of the other passengers stepped in, and the bus driver didn't even stop! But given what I've stated above, is it really a surprise no one helped? The answer is, unfortunately, no. Mistreatment of women goes back generations, and is, unfortunately, an ingrained part of a good chunk of society there. I'm not painting the whole population with the same brush, but it sorta says it all when not too many years ago, a wife was expected to throw herself on her hubby's funeral pyre and die with him.
   And lets also not forget the cases of brides being burned by their newlywed spouses. And I'm sure the list of atrocities against women is one hell of a lot longer than what I've chronicled.
   And the protests against such maltreatment have started in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and other centres. The protesters want not only justice for the 23 year old, but changes in the way women are treated. Sadly, though, calling for what's almost a societal change likely won't result in many improvements, and the mistreatment of women will continue. But if any proposed changes save even one life, they might be worth it. Every journey starts with one small step.
   As for the "men" accused in this case.....justice should be swift and simple if they're found guilty. They should all be hung by their testicles. And once they rip off, hang them by the neck.
   'Nuff said.