Editorial: Stop victim-blaming

Placing the burden of not becoming a rape victim on women themselves smacks of a patriarchal mindset

Victim-blaming in rape cases is an appalling tendency that is often associated with India. After every horrific rape incident, politicians deliver sermons on what women should or should not do to avoid falling victim. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s remarks on the Durgapur rape case reflect a regressive mindset. It is particularly deplorable coming from a woman Chief Minister who is responsible for the safety and security of women in her State. A 23-year-old MBBS student from Odisha was gang-raped in Durgapur, in a shocking crime occurring barely a year after protests erupted over the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College. The Chief Minister said the survivor should not have been out at night. Such prescriptions, however well-intended they may be, smack of a patriarchal mindset. It’s a familiar refrain that often follows incidents of sexual violence in the country. Patriarchal cultural norms make even a brief night stroll feel costly. The insinuation that the medical student was somehow responsible for the crime because she was out late at night is simply outrageous. This is not the first time that the TMC supremo has come up with her own theories regarding rape cases. In 2012, she dubbed the Park Street Rape case “fabricated”, while in other cases, she floated political conspiracies and failed love affairs as the reasons for the sexual assaults. Banerjee is the latest in a long list of politicians who have made disquieting remarks on women’s issues, especially around sexual violence.

Strangely, in no other crime is the onus placed on the victim instead of the perpetrator. Nobody would say the victim of wallet-snatching somehow ‘asked for it. But, when it comes to rape and sexual crimes, we get to hear a spate of questions: Why was she wearing that revealing dress? Why was she out late at night? Why was she drinking? Was she having an affair with the perpetrator? The answer to all these questions: It doesn’t matter. When we ask such questions, we are only reinforcing a social stereotype that a woman belongs to the confines of her house. Patriarchy typically functions by placing the burden of not becoming a rape victim on women themselves. This is moral policing by a society that has failed to keep women safe. Rape happens because men think that they can get away with it. It is the responsibility of governments, administrations, and workplaces to provide safe environments. Instead of looking for failed love affairs and political conspiracies, politicians like Banerjee must focus their attention on making the school curricula gender-sensitive. Dishing out advice to female victims of violence seems to have become a national pastime for many politicians. Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixshit had once advised women not to be so adventurous after journalist Soumya Vishwanathan was killed while driving home after a night shift.

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