PaRCha - JNU - All Organisations - 2007 ID-47678
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: .
. ._ ..~·:_o...:........;_ .
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:. : )v. ~'J . .·-.] .
8181;1 A Crime And A Tragedy-.
And Its lmpUcatlons For Women, For The Campus, For Us All 10.02..fl .
The media is calling it a scandaL But its not a sleazy 'scandal'..
Jt:s a crime and a tragedy that has been played out on our campus-.
.
on a woman; .
the crime was ont: ofcynical betrayal ofthe most intimate trust; one ofthe worstforms ofviolence andsexualharassm§.!zt.
.
.
the tragedy is one in which a young woman s· mostprivate rnoments have been exposed to the public withoutherconsent,.
that was responsible for violation ofher dignity and privacy. .
.
. .
hereducation disruptedand herlife under unimaginable strain. Andto top it all) she is being stigmatized by the very $41tietY.
.... ..
The studentorganizations on the campus exercised a welcome restraint on this matter for long, seeking to preventfurther.
.
progressive student activists who did bring the matter to the notice of the .GSCASH,'requesting"GSCASH to initiate the anack on a woman student's privacy in the media and the public. (However, while maintaining restra~nt i~ pub!i~ it was.
process ofidentifying and punishing the perpetrators.).
Unfortunately, now, the meclia has got hold ofthe story and there is the very real danger that its c~veragewill add greater'.
pain to the woman's life. The JNU Administration must take measures to rein in the media and prevent further.
intrusion into the privacy ofthe victim..
Action has been initiated against the perpetrators and nothing short ofexpulsion and criminal proceedings for ..
sexual harassment and cyber crimes will suffice..
However, the issues raised by the episode will not end even if punishment is ensured in this specific case. As a.
campos community, we need to reflect and introspect on wider issues urgently..
Inthefirst place, there are disturbing signs that the episode will increaseparental reluctance to allow daughters to pursue.
higher education, especially away from home. Women negotiate all sorts ofpressures in order to secure the right to pursue.
education on par with men. An epjsode like this is not just a vicious attack on one woman -it is an attack on all women,.
threatening theirfreedom, their education and their sense ofclignity. .
.
.
We also need to ask ourselves -what allowed such a terrible crime to take place? As in most cases of violence.
against women, the first knee-jerk reaction ofa wide section ofsociety is to blame sexual openness in general, and women's.
freedom in particular. Girls' freedom to enter boys' hostel rooms is the problem, they say. But is that really the problem?.
.
Locking up women and restricting their movements in the name of 'protecting' them only increases patriarchal controls on.
women. Rather, it is increased interaction between men and women on an equal footing that will democratize relationships and.
act as a deterrent to such abhorrent incid~nts. Under no condition can we allow our hard-earned democratic rights to be.
snatched away from us in the name of 'ptotecting' women. .
, _I·.
In reality, is it notpatriarchal attitudes to women andrelations/ups that are the problem? Our mostintimate relations.
are shaped and moulded by patriarchy in ways that we are scarcely aware of. Family, love between parents, spouses, lovers.
-noneof these relationships and institutions is outside the institution ofpatriarchy. Inevery instance ofhonourkilling, we see.
.
bow patriarchy can lead parents to killing their own daughter. Patriarchy-and its demeaning and exploitative subjugation of.
women-is intimately entwined even with 'love', as we are reminded every time a boyfriend betrays his girlfriend's trust and.
.
violates her self-hood and privacy by circulating photographs orvideos ofintimate moments, eitherfor 'revenge' orfor profit..
It needs to be stressed that such a heinous cdme must be most severely punished. But this is an issue in which we cannot.
merely take shelter in any righteous indignation against the key perpetrators. Is this not a crime in which many ofus on this.
.
campus thatprides itselfon being progressive andgendersensitive have shared?.
The media is calling it a 'porn dip'-the ethics ofpornography can be debated elsewhere; but in this instance, the video.
in question was not a 'porn clip' since the woman concerned had in no way consented to the public viewing ofthe clip~· nor.
she was aware that she was being filmed. This video was watched with vicarious pleasure, in private rooms or collectively,.
copies were searched for, viewed on the net and passed on to others. Obviously, there was silence from many quarters when.
neighbours shared and viewed this violation of a woman's privacy. Wasn't there a lapse of collective responsibility in this ·' .
crime against women? Such questions may make us uncomfortable, but they must be asked..
Let us unitedly seek punishment for the perpetrators of this horror and justice for our fellow woman student..
burdenofguilt,stigmatisation placed bysocietyon the woman victim, lestsuch isolation and burden borne alone can take But let us also begin the process ofintrospection and atonement for this crime. Let us do·all we can to end any isolation or.
a terrible and tragic tolL Let us, students and teachers, do what we can to enable all concem~d to allow her to continue hereducation and live her life with full confidence and clignity. Let us, in solidarity with all victims ofsuch crimes, declare.
loud and clear that women who are victims of such horrific crimes are not 'the accused' and they bear neitherthe culpability ofsilent spectators or vicarious viewers ofsexual harassment and violence against women. .
shame nor guilt -it is the rest of us who instead should shoulder the shame and guilt as a society, introspecting onShephalika, President, AISA, JNU .
· Sucheta, Gen. Secy., AISA, JNU .
' 't:tl, >H!tt" · .
.
PaRCha - JNU - All Organisations - 2007 ID-47678
.
.. .
: .
. ._ ..~·:_o...:........;_ .
.
:. : )v. ~'J . .·-.] .
8181;1 A Crime And A Tragedy-.
And Its lmpUcatlons For Women, For The Campus, For Us All 10.02..fl .
The media is calling it a scandaL But its not a sleazy 'scandal'..
Jt:s a crime and a tragedy that has been played out on our campus-.
.
on a woman; .
the crime was ont: ofcynical betrayal ofthe most intimate trust; one ofthe worstforms ofviolence andsexualharassm§.!zt.
.
.
the tragedy is one in which a young woman s· mostprivate rnoments have been exposed to the public withoutherconsent,.
that was responsible for violation ofher dignity and privacy. .
.
. .
hereducation disruptedand herlife under unimaginable strain. Andto top it all) she is being stigmatized by the very $41tietY.
.... ..
The studentorganizations on the campus exercised a welcome restraint on this matter for long, seeking to preventfurther.
.
progressive student activists who did bring the matter to the notice of the .GSCASH,'requesting"GSCASH to initiate the anack on a woman student's privacy in the media and the public. (However, while maintaining restra~nt i~ pub!i~ it was.
process ofidentifying and punishing the perpetrators.).
Unfortunately, now, the meclia has got hold ofthe story and there is the very real danger that its c~veragewill add greater'.
pain to the woman's life. The JNU Administration must take measures to rein in the media and prevent further.
intrusion into the privacy ofthe victim..
Action has been initiated against the perpetrators and nothing short ofexpulsion and criminal proceedings for ..
sexual harassment and cyber crimes will suffice..
However, the issues raised by the episode will not end even if punishment is ensured in this specific case. As a.
campos community, we need to reflect and introspect on wider issues urgently..
Inthefirst place, there are disturbing signs that the episode will increaseparental reluctance to allow daughters to pursue.
higher education, especially away from home. Women negotiate all sorts ofpressures in order to secure the right to pursue.
education on par with men. An epjsode like this is not just a vicious attack on one woman -it is an attack on all women,.
threatening theirfreedom, their education and their sense ofclignity. .
.
.
We also need to ask ourselves -what allowed such a terrible crime to take place? As in most cases of violence.
against women, the first knee-jerk reaction ofa wide section ofsociety is to blame sexual openness in general, and women's.
freedom in particular. Girls' freedom to enter boys' hostel rooms is the problem, they say. But is that really the problem?.
.
Locking up women and restricting their movements in the name of 'protecting' them only increases patriarchal controls on.
women. Rather, it is increased interaction between men and women on an equal footing that will democratize relationships and.
act as a deterrent to such abhorrent incid~nts. Under no condition can we allow our hard-earned democratic rights to be.
snatched away from us in the name of 'ptotecting' women. .
, _I·.
In reality, is it notpatriarchal attitudes to women andrelations/ups that are the problem? Our mostintimate relations.
are shaped and moulded by patriarchy in ways that we are scarcely aware of. Family, love between parents, spouses, lovers.
-noneof these relationships and institutions is outside the institution ofpatriarchy. Inevery instance ofhonourkilling, we see.
.
bow patriarchy can lead parents to killing their own daughter. Patriarchy-and its demeaning and exploitative subjugation of.
women-is intimately entwined even with 'love', as we are reminded every time a boyfriend betrays his girlfriend's trust and.
.
violates her self-hood and privacy by circulating photographs orvideos ofintimate moments, eitherfor 'revenge' orfor profit..
It needs to be stressed that such a heinous cdme must be most severely punished. But this is an issue in which we cannot.
merely take shelter in any righteous indignation against the key perpetrators. Is this not a crime in which many ofus on this.
.
campus thatprides itselfon being progressive andgendersensitive have shared?.
The media is calling it a 'porn dip'-the ethics ofpornography can be debated elsewhere; but in this instance, the video.
in question was not a 'porn clip' since the woman concerned had in no way consented to the public viewing ofthe clip~· nor.
she was aware that she was being filmed. This video was watched with vicarious pleasure, in private rooms or collectively,.
copies were searched for, viewed on the net and passed on to others. Obviously, there was silence from many quarters when.
neighbours shared and viewed this violation of a woman's privacy. Wasn't there a lapse of collective responsibility in this ·' .
crime against women? Such questions may make us uncomfortable, but they must be asked..
Let us unitedly seek punishment for the perpetrators of this horror and justice for our fellow woman student..
burdenofguilt,stigmatisation placed bysocietyon the woman victim, lestsuch isolation and burden borne alone can take But let us also begin the process ofintrospection and atonement for this crime. Let us do·all we can to end any isolation or.
a terrible and tragic tolL Let us, students and teachers, do what we can to enable all concem~d to allow her to continue hereducation and live her life with full confidence and clignity. Let us, in solidarity with all victims ofsuch crimes, declare.
loud and clear that women who are victims of such horrific crimes are not 'the accused' and they bear neitherthe culpability ofsilent spectators or vicarious viewers ofsexual harassment and violence against women. .
shame nor guilt -it is the rest of us who instead should shoulder the shame and guilt as a society, introspecting onShephalika, President, AISA, JNU .
· Sucheta, Gen. Secy., AISA, JNU .
' 't:tl, >H!tt" · .
.