I Think: A girl’s complaint doesn’t prove rape, reporters should know
Dr Farman Ali, general surgeon, Bangalore
I make sure I read the news every day and keep myself updated. But nobody wants to opens the newspaper to read about rape, as it affects one negatively. The first reaction that I have to news of rape, honestly, is, “Ah, it’s okay, it’s very frequent, it’s become a part of our life”. We’ve started accepting rape as a culture.
Only the media and doctors can make rape an approachable topic in India. There is a social stigma attached to conversations about sexual violence here. A majority of us cannot discuss it openly with our friends and family.
I have seen about 400 rape cases in my career as a doctor. But 80 per cent of rapes go unreported because the survivor doesn’t want to take her case further. What should have become a medico-legal case is sorted out by the police, without legality, at the hospital itself.
Rape is not just a crime; it is a psychologically and physically damaging process. We have to encourage rape survivors to come out and talk about their experiences. Their stories will serve as a warning that nobody is immune to rape and that the problem must be acknowledged.
The only entity that can change or destroy rape culture is the media. We are merely consumers; we interpret news the way it is reported. As a doctor, I follow certain protocols that are very technical and professional but as a consumer, my only source of information comes from print, broadcast or digital media. The media should change its tone when it comes to rape reporting. It should be put across as “rape shouldn’t happen” instead of “rape happened”.
There is a difference between educating people and informing them. We should start educating people. Rape should be reported in a way that people realise it is wrong. If it is reported like a regular event, people are bound to accept it.
I’d like to add that a complaint by a girl does not mean it is rape. Journalists must educate themselves about the tools that can prove rape cases. Forensic science is the only way to prove it. The grade of rape should be assessed — whether it has caused physical damage or psychological damage or both. The medical after-effects of rape must be counted.
Some pseudo-statistics of rape are not to be trusted. As a doctor, out of 10 rape cases that I see, only four are actual rape cases. The rest are false accusations made for financial benefits. I think there should be a mention of these cases as well.
Why not register an association that specialises in health and medical journalism? These journalists can take over the responsibility of rape reporting, derive protocols and be in touch with doctors as well. Medical journalists, like the students I teach, must bridge the gap between the medical and reporting parts of rape. There should also be a section of the media dedicated to legalities of rape.
Pathologically aggressive behaviour like rape is caused by the inability to direct hormonal aggression in a positive and constructive manner. A man who is unable to do this can be deterred if he has a clear insight about the penalty he might face. The reason why rape is apparently less frequent in some other countries is because of their strict rules.
The death penalty should become the standard punishment for any form of rape. Regarding the verdict on the Nirbhaya rape case, the length of time the courts took to come up with the death penalty for the perpetrators cannot be justified. At this rate, media will start giving up on government response and start accepting rape as a culture. You might want to replace my interview with an MLA’s interview to find a solution to this.
Dr Ali is the founder of Docfort Meducation Pvt Ltd, which runs India’s first journalism course for medicos.
