I Think: Psychological and counselling services can improve the situation
Sunanda Zalani, clinical psychology student, Bangalore
I receive my news primarily from the newspaper as we have a yearly subscription, but I consider myself more of a magazine person. I am a very selective news consumer; anything that’s glorified or over-dramatised doesn’t go down well with me, which unfortunately describes a lot of the news content today.
I feel sad, disgusted and angry with the news of rape and sexual violence I see in the media. The last incident I read and followed up end to end was probably the Nirbhaya case. My initial reaction to that news was, “How can anyone be so inhumane?” There have been so many incidents post that as well, but that one completely took me away from reading news of this kind. I do watch documentaries on the subject, however.
The problem of sexual violence is quite severe in India today. The statistics don’t show the true picture as unfortunately many cases are not even reported. There are many dimensions to the problem — from poverty, to education, to increasing population, to lack of awareness, to lags in our judicial and legal system, corruption, unavailability of sufficient crisis help…
To the news media, I’d say: stop dramatising and glorifying cases of rape and sexual violence. I’d like journalists to try to present all sides of an issue and conduct extensive research about the subject rather than presenting only popular opinions (or opinions of powerful people). The entire news industry needs an overhaul; it’s in the dumps currently.
More attention needs to be given to how the field of psychology can help. Several tests/assessments that can help identify prospective offenders are already in use by forensic psychologists. Apart from that, sensitisation initiatives, awareness-building campaigns, and counselling services within reach for everyone are must. Currently, we have a severe shortage of counsellors and psychologists in India. The government must emphasise the need to bring more counsellors and psychologists into the picture. The Mental Health Bill passed recently is a good step, but should be implemented and expanded upon rapidly.
If I were a journalist reporting on such news, I’d focus more on sensitisation, awareness and highlighting all the post-trauma help that is available rather than merely detailing what happened. Of course, I would cover any case from beginning to end, including how the culprits were caught and whether justice was brought about.
