The mind of a rapist, Section 377 and male sex assault, stepmother plots gang-rape

The 6 September round-up of Note This: highlights from NewsTracker and more

Asavari Singh
Sep 6, 2018 · 4 min read
Psychologist Dr Rizwana Begum spoke to NewsTracker about some of the motivations behind rape. Photo courtesy: Dr Rizwana Begum

Sexual violence isn’t something that a person just “jumps” into — there’s usually a history of red flags, says Bangalore-based psychologist Dr Rizwana Begum. In an interview with Spurthi Venkatesh, she draws on her 13 years of clinical experience to discuss the motivations behind rape, the psychological aftermath of sexual crimes, and how to talk to survivors.

In I Think, where we capture public opinion on the news reporting of sexual violence in India, Rithm Choudhury, a student from Siliguri, says she wants the media to focus on the solution rather than the problem. “Conducting TV panels is not the way to do it,” she says.

Editor’s pick

Understanding the protocols and procedures for the medical examination of rape victims can help journalists report more accurately. NewsTracker’s Meghna Anand lists five pointers for reporters on what to look for from medics when writing about a sexual assault case.

Across India: news since Monday

The Supreme Court today decriminalised consensual gay sex by partially striking down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. This could have positive repercussions for male and transgender victims of sexual assault, who so far have not had any legal recourse other than 377 — which was problematic since it also made gay sex with consent illegal. Quoting Supreme Court advocate and Lawyers Collective founder Anand Grover, News18 says, “Decriminalising Section 377 would finally bring to the light the prevalence of male rape and may help usher in laws that protect men, gay, straight or trans, from sexual assault.”

In another ruling, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said that minor victims of rape were entitled to as much “compensation” as women. This translates to a range of Rs 4–7 lakh for rape, and Rs 5–10 lakh for gang-rape and loss of life, reports the Hindu.

Sexual assault, media and the courts

How much should the media be allowed to report on an ongoing investigation? The tussle over this question continues in the Muzaffarpur shelter home sex abuse case, in which the Patna High Court recently passed a much-protested gag order. On Wednesday a petition against the “blanket ban” was filed in the Supreme Court, stating that media reporting of the case encouraged victims in similar situations (specifically, boys in an Arrah juvenile home) to speak out.

On whether a dead victim of sexual assault can be named — as had happened controversially (see here) in the case of the Kathua gang-rape victim — the Supreme Court on Wednesday said there was “no harm” if the family made the choice, but “where the media houses go and find… that should not happen.”

Cruel and unusual

Horrific details about the gang-rape, torture and murder of a nine-year-old girl in Uri, J&K, have been reported widely. The child’s stepmother plotted the crime, say police, and reportedly encouraged her 14-year-old son and his friends to sexually assault the victim. The police have said that the woman was jealous of her husband’s other wife and resented that he was particularly fond of the victim. Five people are currently under arrest.

In Barwani, Madhya Pradesh, a 30-year-old man has been arrested for raping his mother after threatening her with a sickle. His seven-year-old son reportedly witnessed the assault.

Rape culture

A 16-year-old in Araria district, Bihar, has said that her head was shaved and that she was sexually molested and “paraded naked” by a group of men over an old grudge. An FIR has been registered against six people.

In Andheri, Mumbai, a woman was allegedly raped repeatedly over a period of two months and her hair shaved by a man she had met on a social networking site. The accused, who is under arrest, reportedly wanted the survivor to marry him but when she refused he drugged, raped and forcibly confined her. She has said he also blackmailed her with footage of the assault.

Read more

This roundup is curated from the RSS feeds of more than 30 English news publications from across India.

See a fuller list of rape and sexual violence cases reported today, and earlier this week.

Use our case filter to read reports on specific cases: #KeralaPriest, #RapeOfMinors, #Muzaffarapur, #PoliticsOfRape (use the dropdown menu in column A).

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NewsTracker

A conversation on the news coverage of rape and sexual violence in India. A MAAR initiative

Asavari Singh

Written by

Editor and former journalist, with a special interest in gender in the media and psychology. Editorial contributor at newstracker.maar.in

NewsTracker

A conversation on the news coverage of rape and sexual violence in India. A MAAR initiative

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