I Think: All newspapers are largely negative

Bharati Sharma, academic, Ahmedabad

I do read stories of rape and sexual violence, but I try to avoid them. I get disturbed. Unless it is like the Nirbhaya case splattered all over the place, I just read the title.

Rape of little girls affects me the most. In cases of older girls, there is usually a history behind their relationship with the rapist. It is about the power of the male over female, or the vindictiveness of two families, revenge. There is some explanation, but in the case of a six-month-old, or a five- or 10-year-old, there is nothing.

Nirbhaya’s case was most shocking. But there was also one incident of a woman in jail that surfaced because of Nirbhaya. Even though the cases were similar, the latter did not catch the attention of people because she was a victim in jail.

Rape reports are written in a very matter-of-fact manner. Unless they are brutal like Nirbhaya’s or others that lead to protests, they are reported objectively and reduced to merely numbers.

The media doesn’t follow up unless it’s some big industry ka ladka ya ladki. You don’t know what happened to the victim, or the rapist. Even analytical review articles on incidents of rape over the years are rare.

All newspapers are largely negative. It’s not as if nothing positive is happening in the society. Yes, rapes should be reported. But the numbers make one feel as if every girl who steps out of the house is raped, which is not true. There must be a balance.