I Think: Radio is one medium that can make a difference
Vikram Moses, radio host, 94.3 Radio One, Chennai
I get my news from mobile apps, mostly The Hindu and another app called Inshorts. It’s part of my routine.
I don’t react to the news of rape and sexual violence as a media person. I react as a human being.
During the Nirbhaya case, I used to go back to news every single day just to see what the progress is, hoping for some justice to happen. But after that, for almost two to three years, I did not read newspapers. I did not want to be a part of it. It was too much for me to take.
The judicial system in India is very slow. Punishment and justice should be immediately pronounced. Only then will the news reach more people and strike some fear in potential perpetrators.
But in reality, by the time a judgement is passed, the news has died out. People have moved on with their lives and forgotten. I think it’s time to make punishments quicker, more intense and unbiased.
I don’t agree that India is the most dangerous country for a woman. There’s sexual violence happening all around the world. Probably it’s just that it is not as extreme as in India. It’s a good thing that people in India are talking about it, though.
Rape culture is definitely prevalent in India, but the reason cannot be one particular factor. The society is messed up as a whole. You can hold as many banners and boards as you want and walk through the streets. You can put up all over social media that rape is a crime. Who does not know that? Everybody knows it’s not a right thing to do.
Today I woke up to the news of an 11-year-old being raped by 15 to 20 men over seven months. You think these guys did not know that it’s a wrong thing to do? In spite of knowing it is a crime, they felt it is okay. This mentality can be blamed on the way they’ve been brought up.
If you talk to any average Indian, when he looks at his wife, sister, daughter, he feels that they are dressed decently and the women who don’t follow the same standard are ‘asking for it’ . The whole ‘asking for it’ concept comes from the parents. Every time a mother frowns at a girl who is dressed badly (according to her), the kid gets an impression that she is not a decent girl and is not worth being respected. And this, I think, has a major role to play in rape culture.
Secondly, the taboo around the topic of sex. Family members are not comfortable talking about sex to the kids. Schools do not educate them enough. Forget kids, I know adult men and women who do not know how sex works. So for such people, sexual violence is just an opportunity to explore and experiment. I don’t think they think what they are doing is the worst thing in the world. Sex education should start from home.
As much as we love to deny the fact, religious and political groups have a huge role to play in influencing society. When a mother sneers at a girl wearing a short skirt, her thoughts are influenced by her religious gurus, the politicians and the caste leaders.
Attempts to talk to people from lower economic classes should be made. There are a lot of people who choose to turn a deaf ear to rallies and protests against rape. It is because they don’t connect with it. Such people should be targeted.
I talk about rape and sexual violence during guest lectures and on social media. On air, the guidelines are very strict. There are guidelines that come from the ministry and there are guidelines that come from the company. We are not allowed to name the victim or the accused or ask any hard questions.
The people’s response has always been the same. There is a group who are actively participating and voicing their opinions and there’s another bunch of people who have nothing to say. I really wish to talk to the latter — the ones who read the news and shrug their shoulders saying that nothing can be done and go back to their routine.
I know some rape survivors. They do not want to fight back. They wish to forget it as a bad dream. They have changed their jobs and cities in order to get over the trauma they’ve been through. They see the articles showing politicians, leaders and people in power say that it is the victim’s fault. They end up silencing themselves thinking that it is not worth taking the risk. If there’s anyone who is impure, it is the person who has committed the crime.
Radio is one medium that can definitely make a difference. All sorts of people listen to radio, from actors and officers to vendors and drivers. All these people tend to connect to at least one host from one radio station. At the end of the day it’s a matter of conveying perspective.
If you want to change the way people think about rape, it has to come from these three sources: politicians, religious leaders, caste leaders. You can talk all about social media and protests, but at the end of the day people listen only to those whom they believe.
