Sandhya Menon on MeToo, coverage of Hyderabad, handbook for journos
The 10 December edition of Note This — our weekly round-up of media reports and opinions on sexual assault
Journalist Sandhya Menon came into the national spotlight as one of the guiding forces behind India’s #MeToo movement in 2018. In a candid and in-depth interview with NewsTracker’s Sanjana Thandaveswaran and Sharin DSouza, she says that the movement needs to evolve further and that the fight must now extend beyond social media, and towards making due process actually work. Read part 1 of the interview here.
Editor’s pick
In a two-part series, Saumava Mitra, an assistant professor at Dublin City University, makes the case that the visual language used by the Indian media implies that rape is not quite ‘real’. He also suggests ways in which journalists can use images that are “representative and with a purpose”. Read part 1 and part 2.
Across India: news since last Tuesday
The Hyderabad gang-rape and murder, and the ‘encounter’ killings that followed shortly after, led to an explosion of media coverage, including a spike in the news reporting of other cases as well. NewsTracker closely followed stories across a wide selection of print, TV and digital platforms and found some problematic patterns and themes in how sexual assault and retributive justice are largely reported in the media (with some notable exceptions), as well as crucial gaps in coverage. It is also worth noting that after the ‘encounter’ killings and the ensuing celebrations (including in sections of the media), there have been several reports of attempted vigilante justice against people accused of sexual crimes.
Unnao rape and murder: ‘A spectacle of competing agendas’
Another case that led to a crescendo of media reporting, public protests, and political bickering was the death by fire of a young woman from Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, who was allegedly attacked by her rapists (who were out on bail) while she was on her way to court for a hearing. Congress leaders have criticised the Uttar Pradesh and Central governments for not doing enough for women, and have launched a social media offensive of posts and images that they say reflect the state of affairs. Subsequent reports, meanwhile, have painted a complex picture of the rape, with the Hindu describing it as a tale of “love, betrayal and caste oppression” and other reports saying that she had signed a “marriage agreement” with one of the accused.
Regardless of the circumstances, Shreya Ila Anasuya in Firstpost correctly points out that the “spectacle of competing agendas” around the case “disrespects the memory of a young woman who wanted justice and to live”. She writes, “Now that she is dead, all the mechanisms that should have supported her are on overdrive. They turned away while she was alive. This is a simple mechanism called damage control, and it will do little to improve the disastrous levels of gender-based violence in Uttar Pradesh — and in India.”
Incidentally, days after the Unnao incident, several other reports of women being sexually assaulted and set on fire were published from around the country, including from Agartala, Muzaffarpur, and Buxar.
‘Come back when the rape happens’
Amid the outrage over the Hyderabad and Unnao cases, there have been several news reports underscoring that very little seems to be changing on the ground in Uttar Pradesh when it comes to the police responding appropriately to complaints.
In Unnao, a departmental enquiry has been initiated against a policeman who refused to file a complaint of attempted rape, allegedly telling the victim, “Rape has not happened, come when it happens”. The victim also said she was threatened by the men who sexually assaulted her.
In Kanpur, a minor victim has said that she was sexually assaulted by a group of men, who reportedly told her that she would “meet a fate like Unnao” if she attempted to register a complaint”. When she did go to the police, she says no action was taken. The girl has now taken to social media to draw attention to her story.
In Muzaffarnagar, a 35-year-old woman was attacked with acid by four men against whom she had filed a police complaint. They were out on bail when they entered her house. The victim has said that she will kill herself if she does not get justice and will hold the police responsible.
Too little, too late?
A lot of coverage has been given to the Uttar Pradesh government’s intention to set up 200 courts to fast-rack sexual assault cases. Of these, 74 courts will hear cases involving sexual crimes against children. However, the media has also pointed out the sorry track record of other measures instituted to improve safety and the judicial process.
Many reports have pointed out that nearly 90 per cent of the Nirbhaya fund remains unused. According to government data, five states and union territories used none of the money. Telangana, where the Hyderabad rape occurred, used just 4 per cent of the funds it was allocated, while Delhi could find use for just 5 per cent.
In addition, 15 states and union territories have failed to set up fast-track courts, with many not even responding to directives from the Centre to do so. According to the Hindustan Times, Telangana instituted a fast-track only after public outrage over the Hyderabad case.
Read more
This roundup is curated from the RSS feeds of more than 30 English news publications from across India.
See the full list of rape and sexual violence cases reported this week and earlier on our web tool, NewsTracker Data. Use our search function or select one of our boards (such as #MeToo, #KeralaPriest, or #PoliticsofRape) to read reports on specific cases and/or themes.
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