I Think: It is important see the rapist is in some way a victim of his own actions
Mugil Chandran, creative head, Chennai
Iam a media graduate, pursuing filmmaking. I am a proprietor of a media production house. The news I consume is mostly through newspapers and social media.
The news on rape and sexual violence disgusts me. It makes me more and more aware of the suppressed sexual tendencies of the Indian male.
Everybody in society is responsible for this situation. Parents, teachers, educational institutions, religion — they have all made sex and sexuality a matter of taboo. On the other hand, the media and cinema have hyper-glamourised the female body and sex. Together this has created the frustrated Indian male.
If the media is part of the problem, it can be part of the solution too. It’s high time the media to stop hyper-glamorising the female body and glorifying stalking. There needs to be a space created for a more open dialogue on sex and sexuality. Taboo topics need to be spoken about openly in order to spread awareness.
While covering news on rape, the media needs to look for facts rather than drama. It needs to put things in context so that the audience understands the larger scheme of things. It is important to see it [sexual violence] from the lens of religion and caste inequality too.
If I were a journalist, I’d try to understand the context — social, political, caste, class, etc — in which an incident happened rather than merely seeking details of the individuals involved. It is important to try to see that the rapist is in some way also a victim of his own actions. While you have the right to question, also remember that you can very much be a part of the solution.
