I Think: Journalists must work with NGOs to bring about change
V Rajesh Menon, counsellor, Chennai
I am an avid newspaper reader, and also get my news from magazines and from watching TV for an hour every day.
I feel quite frustrated, helpless and ashamed of the way the majority of society perceives sexual violence. The last news I read was about the rape of a 12-year-old child. It made me think of the misplaced behaviour of society towards children.
The media should show conscientious objection and highlight this issue. They should also advocate for better upbringing of children — upbringing that highlights respect for others, irrespective of gender, class and caste. Respect is an important platform for any relationship with another individual.
The media should make an attempt to redefine the role of women in the entertainment industry, which shows the least respect to women. Women are shown as the weaker sex and are objectified. Take for example the famous dance number — ‘Yeh cheez badi hai mast’ (roughly translated as ‘What a sexy thing she is’) — which we laugh off. Songs like this are actually a serious issue, since guys think it is fine to regard women as cheez (things). Media portrayal is a huge problem. The next generation are quite observant and we should set an example for them. What we portray to them is important.
Rape victims lose their self-confidence and self-esteem. Sometimes they slip into depression, which destroys their personality and turns into a lifelong problem. This happens especially in a closed society such as we have in rural India, where the victim is labelled. The existing system can be corrected only when there is a sustained attempt to instil a sense of respect for all.
There should also be a shift in mindsets in rural India. The need for respecting women should be brought to the forefront by persistent campaigning. This should involve NGOs as agents on the ground. There should be follow-ups done on their activities to ensure sustainable change.
Journalists should engage with this issue tirelessly, in coordination with NGOs. My message to journalists is that they should bring about a change in society through sustained efforts with the help of collective agents who are also up for change.
This is part of a series of articles that NewsTracker published from 25 November to 10 December as part of the #16Days activism, aligned with the UN’s International Day for Ending Violence Against Women. This piece was published on Day 8.
