Indians have begun to recognize this epidemic of sexual hatred in their midst. Far from just a matter of rape, it’s an environment where, in some regions, there are 800 girls alive for every 1,000 boys, because sex-selective abortion and female infanticide are so widespread; where the physical abuse of women is seen as mundane; where even major sex crimes are usually described in major newspapers as “Eve-teasing.” India finally awoke this week to its national shame. But then an odd thing happened in Canada and other Western countries: A number of prominent people, notably anti-rape activists and feminists, rushed to declare that India’s crisis wasn’t notably severe.
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