Beyond Patriarchy: India Needs Healthy Expressions of Masculinity to Curb Rape Culture | Adfer Rashid Shah

Taking a suo motu cognisance of the gruesome rape and murder of a junior medic at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital on August 9, 2024, The Supreme Court of India’s timely assertion on August 20, 2024, is seen as a beacon of hope for women’s safety especially doctors’ safety in hospitals. The junior doctor was found dead at a seminar hall of the medical college on August 9 while the autopsy confirmed that she was raped and murdered. The heinous incident sparked nationwide outrage and protests with doctors in various parts of the country going on strike demanding stricter laws and policing to ensure the safety of medical professionals and generally of women who feel vulnerable and insecure due to such incidents.

While hearing the case of the murdered resident doctor, the highest court of the country stated that the safety and security of women at the workplace is essential to ensure their equality thereby recognizing safety as a prerequisite condition at the workplace and clearly stating that equality of women cannot be achieved without safety at the workplace. The three-judge Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud heard the and constituted a 10-member National Task Force (NTF) to formulate a national protocol to ensure the safety and facilities of doctors. The task force was asked to submit an interim report in three weeks and a final one in two months. The bodies representing the doctors throughout the countries accepted the SC’s decision to form the task force. The bench said, “The nation cannot wait for another rape and murder in order to bring in safety laws for medical professionals and doctors†.The court also expressed deep concern over the widespread sharing of the victim’s name and photo by irresponsible media outlets and social media users. The case has literally shaken the country after 2012 Nirbhaya rape and murder that sparked such a huge outrage and protest throughout the country then. Through the nationwide protests this time, the doctors are demanding justice and better security at workplaces and female doctors/nurses and other para-medical female staff is more vulnerable given the Kolkata case. The court argued that insecure workplaces deny women equality by perpetuating a culture of fear, marginalization, and exclusion. This landmark statement acknowledges that women’s participation in the workforce is contingent upon a safe and secure environment, free from harassment, violence, and discrimination. However, what safety measures will employers instal in vulnerable institutions to ensure the safety and security of women remains a question.

The Context of Violence

Needless to argue that women have historically been treated as repositories of honour due to the patriarchal power dynamics where women’s bodies, behaviours and reputations are controlled and policed by men. Although significant changes have occurred, some cultures continue to normalize violence, including honour killings, shame killings, and attacking women during riots and controlling their bodies through rape and even murder. In contemporary times workplaces make women vulnerable due to a range of issues like incidents of sexual harassment, eve-teasing and unwelcome advances, lack of implementation of laws, deep-rooted patriarchal mindset, inadequate security measures like infrastructure problems in institutions, inadequate surveillance, security personnel and emergency security response systems. Power dynamics at workplaces also play a part in silencing women and many women remain silent due to the fear of stigma and shame. Also, cultural normalization sustains women’s workplace issues and insecurity be it casual sexism, misogynistic comments, and inappropriate behaviour by male colleagues. Lack of proper gender sensitization training at workplaces also plays its part besides societal pressures perpetuating a culture of silence.

We also need to talk about the intersectional nature of workplace insecurity in contemporary India, highlighting how women from marginalized communities, such as Dalits, Adivasis, poor minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals, face compounded vulnerabilities and hardly such issues become prime time debates or gain massive attention in public and intellectual circles.

Such a pathological social reality calls for stringent anti-harassment policies and practical implementation, besides gender-sensitive training and awareness programs, safe reporting mechanisms and redressal systems, and inclusive and diverse workplace cultures shaped by constant gender sensitization, trainings, and workshops in all private and public institutions.By recognizing safety and security as essential to equality, the Supreme Court has underscored the imperative for transformative change in Indian workplaces. Will Indian workplaces change after this decision, only the time will tell? This shift towards inclusive and secure work environments will enable women to reach their full potential, challenging patriarchal structures and foster a more equitable society.According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, crimes against women in India have increased by 4% in 2022. This includes cases of cruelty by husbands and relatives, abductions, assaults, and rapes. The NCRB report detailed a substantial escalation in reported crimes against women, rising from 371503 cases in 2020 to 445256 cases in 2022. Compared to 2021’s 428278 cases, the 2022 statistics marked a troubling increase. In 2018 on average one woman reported a rape every 15 minutes across the nation. The country witnessed a rise in rape cases, with 31000 cases recorded in 2022 alone(latest available data), translating to nearly 85 women being raped every day in India which is alarming and shames the country globally.

Of Tackling Rape Culture

What makes India a rape culture is the society that normalizes, trivializes, and perpetuates sexual violence against women and other sexual minorities and the yearly NCRB data is the enough evidence of it even when it reflects the reported violence only which is just the tip of the iceberg. Indian society largely is still a victim blaming society where the responsibility of sexual crime even the heinous rapes is shifted from perpetrators to survivors. We are still a society that trivializes assaults and objectifies women and just reduce them to their physical appearance. What shapes the rape culture is perpetuating stereotypes and reinforce negative gender roles and expectations. Indian society still tries to silence victims and stigmatises survivors of sexual abuse. Such a rape culture is further promoted by institutional failures and media representation that portrays sexual violence as acceptable besides language and dark shabby and obscene routine humour that has normalised such crimes thereby establishing a rape culture society.

Having said this now the question is how to tackle rape in India? It needs a multifaceted approach to address the deep-rooted socio-psychological factors prevalent in the society. India needs a positive and gender-neutral parenting culture to avoid bad socialization of children at the family level. A shift in values is necessary to challenge age-old and deeply ingrained patriarchal upbringing and norms and stereotypes that objectify women and perpetuate gender-based violence. India must promote gender equality and respect through education, media, and community engagement to prevent becoming the rape capital of the world.At the education and awareness level, the country needs to integrate comprehensive sex education, consent and healthy relationships into school curricula and conduct a range of workshops and campaigns to raise awareness about rape, its consequences, and support services. Laws related to rape, sexual harassment, and violence against women must be enhanced and strictly enforced, ensuring speedy trials, convictions, and adequate punishment for perpetrators. Most importantly, support survivors and establish accessible, sensitive, and confidential support systems for survivors, including counselling, medical aid, and legal assistance through Women’s studies Centres and legal welfare bodies. Community engagement is crucial, involving men and women in initiatives promoting gender equality, respect, and safety in the domestic and public sphere is important. Moreover, addressing power dynamics, recognizing, and addressing power imbalances based on gender, caste, class, and other social factors, is essential to curb the rape pattern. Also encouraging responsible media reporting, avoiding sensationalism and victim-blaming, and police reforms and sensitization of police, training police personnel to handle rape cases professionally and efficiently are also vital to begin with.

Encouraging Healthy Expressions of Masculinity

Extreme or toxic masculinity is beneficial to none even not to men who take pride in it. Therefore encouraging healthy expressions of masculinity by challenging its harmful notions linked to aggression and control what we generally call toxic masculinity. Cambridge dictionary defines masculinity as ‘the characteristics that are traditionally thought to be typical or suitable for men’. While Toxic masculinity refers to a collection of offensive, harmful beliefs, tendencies, and behaviours rooted in traditional male roles that are taken to an extreme. This dangerous idea of “manliness†perpetuates domination and aggression and can be harmful to the mental health of not just women but all genders. It also can have serious social consequences as violence against women crime graph reveals globally and specially in the Indian context.

Therefore, Healthy expressions like emotional expression to encourage men to express emotions like vulnerability, empathy and kindness which can help break down harmful stereotypes and promote healthy relationships in society are needed. Also, respectful communications that can help men understand and respect boundaries, consent, and women’s autonomy need to be developed in men. Another expression can be empathy and active listening to encourage men to engage in empathetic listening and understanding, which can help them recognize and challenge harmful attitudes and behaviours towards women. Moreover, the expression of accountability and responsibility among men can encourage them to take ownership of their actions and challenge toxic masculinity by themselves. The expression of non-violent conflict resolution is a must for encouraging men to resolve conflicts non-violently, that can help reduce aggression and promote healthy relationships. There is a need to encourage men to become allies and advocates for gender equality and women’s rights can help create a culture of support and solidarity. The expression of promoting healthy, equal, and respectful relationships can help men understand and value mutual respect. By promoting these healthy expressions of masculinity besides strengthening institutional policies and safe and secure infrastructure, India can challenge harmful gender stereotypes and toxic masculinity for a positive change. It can reduce aggression and violence and promote healthy relationships and communication since the fact remains that even capital punishment as a deterrent has failed to curb the most heinous and gruesome crimes like rapes against women in India (like post hanging of Nirbhaya 2012 rape and murder convicts. Since then even more heinous rapes continued like Hathras, Unnao, Kathua and now Kolkata). Therefore, a sensitive institutional approach is needed to curb the problem of rape culture and without involving men and boys and Women’s Studies Centres in the country it cannot be actualised.

What Women’s Studies Centres/Gender Studies can do to Curb Rape Culture

Women’s studies or gender studies (WSCs) in India are the brainchild of India’s feminist movement and it is currently an established subject that is interdisciplinary in nature. The first Women’s Studies Centre was established in 1974 while the discipline of women’s studies has been a part of the National  Education Policy since 1986. There were around 156 Women’s Studies Centres across the country in the recent past however now about 77 WSCs are functional. These Centres need a full-fledged mandate and trained human resources to curb India’s rape culture at the institutional level and hence need more empowerment throughout the country to disseminate the much-needed gender sensitization through workshops and trainings in all the government and private institutions and the larger society in different phases. These Centres are amply contributing to society in terms of gender sensitization, outreach programmes, community outreach and conducting feminist research besides teaching the subject of gender studies at Bachelors’ and Masters Level up to the PhD in their given capacity at the moment. The government needs to amply empower these Centres first as WSCs are grappling with the problem of fund crunch, adhocism, temporary status of employees, plan posts or tenurial extensions. The government needs to empower these institutions and mandate them to sensitize men and women in all workplaces in the country within a time span of five years. The ways in which the government can leverage WSCs in curbing the rape culture are:

1. Inviting eminent Indian feminist scholars while framing the policies and instructing the WSCs to conduct a holistic gender audit of the country and conduct quality research that analyses the root causes of rape culture, its impact on survivors, and effective prevention strategies.

2. WSCs can integrate gender-sensitive curriculum, workshops, and campaigns to raise awareness about consent, gender equality, and healthy relationships at workplace and in the larger public and the domestic sphere.

3. Providing support systems, counselling, and resources for survivors of sexual violence.

4. Collaborating with local communities, organizations, and stakeholders to promote gender equality and challenge patriarchal norms through community engagement programmes.

5. Influencing policy changes and reforms to strengthen laws and mechanisms for preventing and addressing sexual violence.

6. Amply funding WSCs for Capacity building for gender sensitization, self-defence workshops, and trainings for faculty, staff and students in campuses and other on gender sensitization, sexual harassment at workplace, bystander intervention, and conflict resolution, etc.

7. WSCs can help society in creating safe spaces by fostering inclusive and safe environments for open discussions, debates, and sharing of experiences.

8. Involving men and boys in conversations and initiatives to challenge toxic masculinity and promote healthy expressions of gender.

9. Building partnerships and collaborating with other institutions, NGOs, civil society and government agencies to amplify impact and leverage resources.

10. Continuously assessing the effectiveness of initiatives and adapting strategies to address emerging challenges through monitoring and evaluation and research mapping.

11. Strengthening WSCs financially and making all WSCs in the country as permanent departments at the university and college level to establish a strong base for gender equality.

12. Mandating WSCs for regular inspections to the country’s Shelter homes and study the survivors of sexual and domestic abuse besides conducting capacity building programs to sensitise shelter home staff and volunteers.

13. Government should form a unified task force of feminist scholars’ from WSCs for gender audit of all institutions throughout the country to identify gender-based inequalities besides workplace harassment and critically look into the organizational policies and practices adopted for women’s safety.

Complete Ban on Pornography

There is a need of a unified response to tackle the rape culture. Most importantly India must strictly ban porn sites and all platforms of pornography to prevent rapes. Because pornography portrays women as objects for sexual gratification, reinforcing harmful gender stereotypes and contributing to a culture of objectification. Pornography normalizes violence and provokes people to violent and aggressive animal-like instincts. Also, content in pornography can desensitize individuals to violence against women, potentially leading to an increased likelihood of committing rape. Pornography frequently presents unrealistic and unhealthy expectations of sexual behaviour, potentially leading to a distorted view of consent and healthy relationships.The consumption of pornography can perpetuate a culture that trivializes and normalizes sexual violence, creating an environment in which rape is more likely to occur. Early exposure to pornography can shape the attitudes and behaviours of young people, potentially leading to a lack of understanding about consent and healthy relationships. Though it is important to note that banning porn sites alone may not completely prevent rapes, as the issue is complex and multifaceted.

Last word

A comprehensive approach addressing societal attitudes, education, and legal frameworks is necessary to effectively tackle the problem of rape culture. Therefore, implementing the above discussed strategies requires a sustained commitment to create a culture of respect, equality, and safety for all individuals, particularly women and marginalized groups. To prevent rape culture in India, it is essential to encourage healthy expressions of masculinity, challenge patriarchal norms, and create a safe and inclusive environment for women. As Chief Justice of India Chandrachud aptly stated on Kolkata tragedy, ’If women are not able to go to work and the conditions are not safe, “we are denying them equality†. By recognizing the inherent value of equality and safety, we can work towards a future where women can thrive without fear of violence, and men can embrace healthy masculinity without perpetuating harm.When we talk about equality it must be practiced on the ground without any politics and language of tokenism, zero-sum games, and power.

(Author: Dr Adfer Rashid Shah is a George Greenia Fellow from William and Mary, USA. He is a Delhi based Sociologist and works with SNCWS,Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi)