A student slogs day and night to get top grades in school examinations, all in the hopes of securing a seat in his/her dream college and finally makes it. The proud, eager students with eyes full of hopes and dreams soon find themselves in a situation where all their dreams had been shattered, the future seems hopeless and blank and their confidence ground into dust, all because of the highly prevalent practice of ragging.
Ragging is an extreme violation of human rights and is a result of a perverse and sadistic mind. Senior students may dish out several justifications for their shameful behavior from it being ‘fun’ to their belief that juniors must be prepared for the worst. No matter what their twisted reasoning might be, it always ends up with the junior students being humiliated at the least and even physically and mentally damaged in the worst case scenarios. The experience could scar them for life and getting out of it is not an easy task. It may even go as far as leading to suicides and self-harm among the victims. Ragging must be stopped at all costs and here are a few ways how.
Creating awareness among students
Senior students must be made clear that ragging is a punishable offence and about the psychological distress it causes the victims. Junior students must be made aware that ragging must be complained about to the authorities and when to say no to a senior. Complying to ragging at times when it may seem harmless is also a way of encouraging it and junior students should be educated to not doing it.
Forming Anti-Ragging committee
The college administration must take measures to ensure that there is an active anti-ragging committee in the campus and that students know about it. The members must consist of the staff as well as senior students who are empathetic to ragging victims and should be people to whom the students feel safe about taking their problems to. Posters with the committee members’ names and contact details can be put up through the campus to make sure the information is available at all times.
Stricter observations in hostels
Students away from home and alone in a new place are more affected than the rest. Hostel students are prime targets for seniors to show their superiority, thus making the hostel extremely ragging-prone. The hostel staff must be highly observant of the goings on of the inmates and even the slightest form of trouble must be immediately investigated.
Strict punishments against ragging culprits
Nothing scares a wrong-doer more than stringent punishments. Thos who are found guilty of ragging juniors must be dealt with inflexible, justifiable punishments so that it not only sets an example for the others but will also give faith to the juniors that justice will be met out at all cost. The stricter the punishments, the lesser the people who will want to do it.
Students must be monitored effectively
CCTV’s must be installed in the college premises especially in ragging prone zones of the campus. The staff must be more observant of the activities of the students so wrong could be stopped before happening. Junior students who suddenly turn silent, brooding and unresponsive must be treated with psychological help to find about possible cases of ragging torment.
The dangerous aftermaths of ragging must be addressed by parents at homes, teachers at colleges and by the media. It isn’t possible to eradicate ragging without the combined efforts of them all and the students. Ragging will create terrible harm to the future generation if left uncontrolled and thus it is imperative that it must be ended.
Image Courtesy : https://www.gpck.rajasthan.gov.in/AntiRagging/poster-06.jpg
After a long time, I have read a content that gives effective solutions to combat the raging on campus and in the hostels. I see it a little relative, though. Strictness is one thing that can make people do the stuff forcefully. We must focus more on the ways to expose the damage that can be done by raging, a monster in disguise!
Right approach and marching ahead with a message of harmony is the key!