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An Instagram chat group that comprised of several young boys studying in some of the best schools in Delhi has taken the internet by the storm. The topic of discussion in that chat group was slut-shaming, gangrape and female objectification, rues Enakshi. An exclusive for Different Truths.
Knowing that rape-culture is perpetuated in our society as well as our culture, it is disheartening to know that young school-going children are becoming a victim of this mindset. This news is obviously a shocker for the parents.
The boys are said to be class 11 and 12 students, who shared pictures of teenage girls without their consent and invited comments from other participants of the group. Those comments are too unrefined to be reproduced. Knowing that rape-culture is perpetuated in our society as well as our culture, it is disheartening to know that young school-going children are becoming a victim of this mindset. This news is obviously a shocker for the parents. Now that schools are shut and online teaching is the only way that can prevent the delay in learning, parents have to rely on technology for the sake of their children. This news, however, will make the parents think twice before allowing their children to access the internet.
For a long time, viewing women as an object, disrespecting them and abusing them (in any form, be it physical, emotional, mental or verbal) has been taken casually by our society. Women are often found struggling against the thinly disguised misogyny. Male transgression has been ignored for ages now. It is believed that the behaviour of the menfolk is inevitable and hence, the unsaid freedom that comes along with this belief is the root cause of all the injustice happening to women. It is said that if a mistake is done twice, it no longer remains a mistake and that is exactly what we, as a society, are going to do next. When Nirbhaya case happened in 2012, the juvenile assailant escaped capital punishment. The country stood together in an attempt to bring justice to the rape victim. As a result, The Juvenile Care and Protection of Children Act was passed, in 2015, according to which juveniles in the age group of 16–18, involved in heinous offences, could be tried as adults. Today, we stand at the same juncture where a large group of young boys are planing gang rapes, morphing pictures and threatening girls.
If a change has to be brought, men have to stop skirting around such topics of discussion. Instead of laughing it off, the parents should teach them when they are young. All boys should be taught to respect women and should be kept away from the toxic masculinity in society. Our country was ranked the most dangerous country for women in 2018 owing to the rise in sexual violence.
If a change has to be brought, men have to stop skirting around such topics of
It is the need of the hour to realise as parents and as people that the toxic mindset is being passed onto the younger generation now. With more exposure to technology, advancement in knowledge and more awareness, one cannot contain the spread of negative ideas. What one can do is nip the matter in the bud before it becomes worse.
Photo from the Internet