The much publicized rape and murder of a young woman in New Delhi has sparked a greater debate among Indian Amercans in the United States. Comments from Indian lawmakers have outraged many Indian Americans.
“Like, ‘why is she out at 10pm at night?’, ‘girls have to cover up more’, ‘the women are just party girls.’ It really tied into something that I have been hearing my whole life,” she said Aswini Anburajan to PRI.
Some Indian Americans believe those in India need to have a healthier attitude about sex. “But there is some shyness and they can’t talk very freely with their children,” said an Indian American woman in Queens. “It’s different here. Here it is free, everything. Boys and girls, they go outside, (whatever) they do, (their parents) don’t care,” she said. “If you are 16-years-(old) you can do whatever you want with your girlfriend. It is not easy in India.”
But others are optimistic and see attitudinal change already happening in India. “The relationship dynamics, it’s changing,” said another woman in Jackson Heights. “It’s changing a lot, and I’m very happy about that.”