Punishment

Punishment is the enforcement of harmful and unpleasant things on a person for his/her unwanted or unusual behaviors which are not expected and accepted by the members of the society. This punishment comes in various ways depending upon the place, situation, time and individuals and can be both legal and informal. The legal punishments are for breaking the law, involving in crime and come under jurisdictions of the local and state governments. The informal punishment may be in varied forms like parents punishing their children, teachers their students and so on.

Gender violence

But gender related punishment is what relevant here for discussion. When saying gender related punishment a doubt arises in our minds about whether being subjected to punishment such as bullying, harassing and abusing people of the different gender or people who inflict this violence are to be brought before the law and awarded with appropriate punishment for hurt, rape and murder. Recently in a survey taken in the United States almost 73% of the women voted for capital punishments that are death penalty for those inflict gender related violence.

Laws to punish the offenders

This clearly indicates that women are furious with the incidents happening around the world especially husbands in the name of punishing abuse their wives, and in several places women are subjected to harassment, torture, rape and being killed because they do not submit to  men’s needs and pleasures. And even many governments have made their punishment severe for gender related crimes and violence. But the hard reality is that only a few are convicted while thousand others especially ‘traffickers’ not even brought before the law.

People who escape punishment

So men especially who are wealthy and powerful continue to bully women and trans-genders calling their activities not right and awarding them worse and cruel forms of punishment like whipping and way beyond words would describe them. At the same time women imposing such punishment and caught within the law are said to be leniently punished is the argument of some victimized men in whose cases the situations are reverse.

So the punishment which is informal are wrong and people should be arrested and punished accordingly. Times have changed and so the proverb “spare the rod spoil the child” also have to. Children have also recognized their right that is why they can also file cases against the offender. Punishing others for whatever wrong or behavior are prohibited as there are laws sufficient to punish the offenders and culprits.

Questions:

• Define punishment.
• Who should be punished?