Students and activists try to decode the rape culture prevalent in the country

Why do men turn into rapists? What goes on in the mind of a rapist? What do we need to do to put an end to this rape culture? These were just some of the pertinent questions discussed at two separate events in Lamakaan, that turned the scanner on the deep-rooted misogyny and violence against women.

The first session was organised by Electro for Truth, a platform that enables people to speak about sex and violence. Avishka Reddy Mothe, a student of CSI Institute of Technology, who moderated the session, started off by analysing how a rapist’s mind works, and how it should be dealt with. Using statistics, the session exposed the patterns of rape in the country, and the dynamics of how a person ‘becomes’ a rapist. Asiya Sherwani, an independent consultant working in Hyderabad, opined that the youth of today are more woke and sensitised to gender politics when compared to those of the previous generations. When one of the young participants asked Asiya if cases of sexual abuse were as common back in the day, she replied, “It was just the same; only the ways in which abuse is perpetrated has changed.” The discussion heated up as the controversial police encounter of the four accused in the Hyderabad veterinarian’s rape and murder case came up.

The ethical and constitutional dimensions of the issue were also addressed. The second session was organised by the members of Allies For Her, a group working for gender equality and empowerment in Hyderabad. Swathi G, an economics teacher at a private institute, and Usama Hazare, a mass communication student at St Mary’s College, led the discussion. The discussion revolved around the current narrative of rape, the socio-political dynamics of sexual violence, how society treats rape survivors etc. Sai Prusni, a third year BTech student, pointed out how transgenders and women from marginalised sections of society who have been victims of sexual violence are often left out of the discourse. Another attendee, Prasanthi, opined that the huge number of unoccupied positions in the police force and other government institutions that are responsible for making the city safer for women, is one reasons for the current state of affairs. actor Gayathri Gupta, who has in the recent past, spoken openly about casting couch in the film industry, was also a part of the discussion. “Women, especially single women, don’t have the freedom to have a normal social life even today. Whatever they do, they are judged,” she said. Hyderabadi women across different walks of life and different age groups also shared their own experiences of facing misogyny, and spoke of ways to tackle it. The men too pitched in and emphasised on how unchecked misogyny unwittingly promotes a rape culture.

SINGLE WOMEN ARE JUDGED EVEN WHEN THEY KEEP TO THEMSELVES Single women don’t always have the privilege to be social with anyone without being judged. They will always have prying eyes that are interested in her private affairs. They are judged for everything that they do even if their actions do not have a bearing on anyone else or the society — Gayathri Gupta, actor

RAPES WILL STOP ONLY WITH THE END OF RAPE CULTURE
Rape accounts for 7% of the crimes against women. Unfortunately, the daily crimes committed against women go unheeded. If we can tackle those quickly, the rape culture will be curbed and rapes can be prevented. That is

true justice

for every rape victim. Ending the spread of rape culture is the only way to bring down the number of rapes in society — Swati G, teacher

RAPE VICTIMS ARE TREATED DIFFERENTLY BASED ON THEIR SOCIAL STANDING It’s time we address the plight of transgenders and women from marginalised sections of society as well. Why doesn’t every rape case enrage the public? The experiences and dynamics of assaults vary as per the identity of the victims also — Sai Prusni, student

GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO TAKE MORE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE SAFETY OF WOMEN
Some of us have been constantly campaigning to bring to the attention of the authorities that the Women’s Commission in our state doesn’t have anyone holding the chairperson’s position. How can our government be so careless with matters of so much importance? — Prasanthi, student