8 reactions to ridiculous headlines

Many times in a newspaper, we've come across headlines that put victims of sexual crimes in a very poor, judgemental light by the media. Its precedence is set in such a way that it seems like the victim was at fault for provoking the perpetrator of the crime, even though they are not. We at Jaago Re, wanted to question, assess and identify how this would be perceived amongst the general public. Would people realise that the media's portrayal is also the perception of society itself? Would people question the sexual crimes taking place? Who would they hold responsible, the victim and her parents? The perpetrator and his education? Or would they question themselves and their mind-set? JR went out to the streets of Bangalore with a news headline – “Woman Walking Alone At 11 PM on the road Raped” and gathered insights from the responses elicited by the general public. Read on further to see the highlights.

Who cares why you stepped out, it's your fault you got raped

"Coming from a community that has never taken women's needs seriously, I feel such news headlines are unfair towards us. Do they want us to lock ourselves up at home and never step out? How am I supposed to feed my children and pay for the daily expenses if I as an individual cannot step out without having support from my community? News must be reported, but it should shame the criminal/rapist not the victim!"

Doesn't matter who commits the crime, a woman must be restrained!

"To a large extent, women are solely responsible for communal safety. Right from the way they dress, to the way they behave and the things they say in public to other people - they make unknowingly provoke people to do harmful things. I don't mean to say that women shouldn't be out late in the nights, but with an unsafe environment in our streets, why take risks? Even men aren't safe, they have high chances of being attacked. Sometimes I have to travel long distances on my bike to deliver goods to a customer, I as a man do not feel safe! Coming to these news headlines, I strongly believe things like this should be published by the media. Women must know that they are unsafe at nights, expecting society to change for an entire population of women is quite difficult.. it will take time. If I had a daughter, I would ensure she is back home as early as possible. Not because I want to restrict her, but to protect her."

Even if a woman goes to the moon, she is unsafe!

"Coming to the subject of women being out late in the night, we refuse to believe that this society is capable of protecting women at any given hour. Day or night, how does it matter? Gruesome crimes have occurred in broad daylight - what do people have to say about that? Such prejudiced opinions give us a look deeper into what society and we ourselves perceive of our safety. Women are still viewed as frail objects, we are still looked down upon. It does not matter if we have a woman President, chief minister or even fly ourselves to the moon. What good is a country that cannot protect its citizens? Aren't women citizens? There are no helpful laws, our government and courts have shown no progress in fast tracking cases."

One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch

"In my opinion, it does not matter if boys are brought up well by their parents and their school teachers. The driving factor for all boys to turn into criminals is the company they keep. What can anybody do if a "well brought up" or "good" boy falls into the company of evil minded people? These are questions we as adults must ask ourselves. These news headlines are being reported only because of our neglect. We refuse to accept that our boys are at fault, we are of the opinion that they learn as they grow older. If a boy is not taught what is wrong, he will continue to be a nuisance to society. As a result, his wife, children, the people around him will suffer."

Everyone else is at fault, except me!

"As men, we feel that we have a crucial role to play. In order to help establish a sense of equality in our society, it must begin with us men. It's not enough if we send women out to be educated or out to work, people think that's what equality is all about. We aren't being sensitive to women's issues. Employment and education barely scratch the surface. To top it all off, we have media reporting news that should ideally expose crimes, but not portray victims' choice of clothing or the time at which they were out as a reason."

The length of my clothes is directly proportional to my safety

"I feel very uncomfortable when I see such headlines. I have been living in India for the last 2 years, travelling throughout the country and I always question my safety. Tomorrow, if I should be attacked; will the people in this country understand my plight as a woman first or a "firang" who dresses like she's asking for it? Irrespective of my colour, my clothes and the time that I am out. Safety for me as a woman is something I will constantly demand from the government, whether I am in Hungary or India. These news headlines are not just a problem in India, but even in many other countries where I have travelled. The world's outlook of women is very unsettling, many people still think it is always the victim's fault."

This social experiment was carried out over a span of two days – and around 42 people from the streets of Bangalore were involved in making it possible. The age group ranged from 18-60+ years. Can we put an end to how rape culture character assassinates its victims? Will we start asking the right questions?#PowerOf49 #JaagoRe #WhoseFaultIsItAnyway