‘By revealing her identity, a rape victim does not lose her dignity’
Shahina Nafeesa, on how she began the #IamNOTjustANumber campaign
On April 25, immediately after the Delhi High Court fined media houses for identifying an eight-year-old rape victim and publishing her photograph, a social media campaign began on Facebook that was to find significant support across India.
#IamNOTjustAnumber saw women demanding they be identified in the media should they ever be raped. “Please disclose my name, reveal my identity and publish my photograph if I am raped and killed,” they posted on Facebook.
Shahina Nafeesa, the journalist and social activist behind #IamNOTjustAnumber, has worked with several NGOs and dealt with rape victims personally. An assistant editor at Open, Nafeesa is the winner of the 2008 Dalai Lama Foundation for Peace Fellowship. In 2011 she won the Chameli Devi Jain Award. She is also the first female journalist to win the Kerala State Award for best television reporting in 2003.
Nafeesa spoke to NewsTracker about the motivations behind #IamNOTjustANumber.
As a feminist, I’ve always been sceptical about why a rape victim has to live a secret life. Why should her identity remain anonymous? Everyone wants to be discreet and provide security and privacy to the victim. By not revealing her identity, she is added to the database of rapes reported annually and her story remains obscure.
Whether the media should reveal a rape victim’s name has always been a topic of debate in our country. But if the victim wants to voice her opinion, to be heard, and seek justice — then why not? It is one’s choice to unveil oneself as a rape victim and face the social stigma that surrounds it.
My motivation for the campaign lies in the wake of the Kathua incident. The Delhi High Court fined the media for disclosing the victim’s identity and her photographs. To my surprise, many esteemed media houses with a history of upholding the freedom of the press and its expression immediately apologised.
In the Kathua case, the photograph of the victim spoke to the people. Her innocent eyes told a story which moved the public conscience and which made them step out and protest. Her portrayal drew attention from the general public towards the need to address such brutal crimes in our country and to call an end to this. It was this case that made people recognise the fact that rape out of racism exists.
Revealing one’s identity is a choice made by a rape victim. She does not lose her dignity. Her dignity has nothing to do with the heinous crime of rape committed by a criminal. Law enforcers need to respect victims’ choices as well. By imposing a ban on revealing identity, the strength of her voice diminishes and she is merely considered a number.
From my standpoint, if I am raped and murdered, all my contributions as a journalist will be wiped off and I will be reduced to a number. I don’t want people to forget me and my accomplishments because someone raped me. I don’t want to be a number; instead I want to take this battle ahead until justice is served.
Unfortunately, most rapes are reported using a passive form — ‘she was raped’ instead of ‘someone raped her’. There lacks a conscious effort from journalists in dealing with the sensitivities of a rape case. We need to elevate the standards of journalism by reporting rapes in favour of the victim.
With inputs from Meghna Anand
