The Calcutta high court on Friday requested people close to the victim and media to refrain from circulating photographs, name as well as other details revealing the identity of the deceased doctor in the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case. It was brought to the attention of the division bench of Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya that the photograph of the victim was being widely circulated on social media.
The Chief Justice said: “As the law prohibits the enclosure of the identity of such a victim, we request persons known to the victim as well as press and media to not circulate the photographs, name as well as any other details which reveal the identity of the victim.”
Does this trend to blame the victim?
Blaming the victim is a phenomenon in which victims of crimes or tragedies are held accountable for what happened to them. Victim blaming allows people to believe that such events could never happen to them. Blaming the victim is known to occur in rape and sexual assault cases, where the victim of the crime is often accused of inviting the attack due to her clothing or behavior. When news reports surfaced of a woman being raped, many questions center on what the victims were wearing or doing that might have "provoked" the attack. When people are mugged, others frequently wonder what victims were doing out so late at night or why they did not take extra measures to protect themselves from the crime.
The Supreme Court on December 11 2018 laid down an absolute bar on the media to publish or air the names or any material which may even remotely reveal the identity of victims of sexual crimes.
No Media house can Print, publish and display in newspaper, social media, electronic etc . the name of the victim or even in a remote manner disclose any facts which can lead to the victim being identified and which should make her identity known to the public at large. The bar extends to anything which can even remotely be used to identify the victim,” a Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta laid down the rule in their judgment.
Only Special Courts under POCSO can permit the disclosure of the identity of a minor victim, that too, only if such divulgence were in the interest of the child.
The stigma and blame attached to rape survivors in India is also one of the reason why they are offered anonymity.
Does rape victims brings dishonor to their Family?
Yes, in many cultures, rape victims are considered to have brought dishonor to their families. This is especially true in cultures where female virginity is highly valued and considered mandatory before marriage.
In some cultures, rape victims face severe violence, including honor killings, from their families and relatives. In other cultures, rape victims may be disowned by friends and family, be prohibited from marrying, or be divorced if already married.
This phenomenon is known as secondary victimization, which is the re-traumatization of the victim through the responses of individuals and institutions.
In India, rape survivors also face stigma and blame, which can magnify the hardship for survivors and their families. Some examples of stigma include:
Police officials recommending that survivors and their families drop their complaint.
Police officers blaming rape survivors.
