Offensive remarks from leaders that perpetuate a victim-blaming culture

Ground Report | New Delhi: Offensive remarks from leaders; Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant continued to stir up controversy with his remarks on the July 25 gang-rape of two minor girls, in which one of the accused has been suspended. Two girls were allegedly raped by four men near Benaulim beach, who also beat up their friends. He also allegedly tried to extort money from the girls who threatened to circulate the video of the attack.

This is the third rape case in Goa this week and as the cases continue to rise, here we look at some of the outrageous statements made by some of our leaders that perpetuate victim-blaming and invalidate the issue of assault. While the first two comments were made recently, most of these were made within a year, with the last comment being made in 2018.

When a 14-year-old is at the beach all night, parents need to introspect. Just because kids don't listen, we can't put the onus on the government and the police.

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He added, "We directly blame the police, but I want to point out that out of 10 youths who went to the beach for a party, four stayed on the beach all night and the rest six went home."

Offensive remarks from leaders

July 30, 2021, Goe's Arts and culture m Minister Govind Gaude said “It is not that the government has given up and is running away from its responsibility. But it is also the responsibility of the parents to know where their children are going and that the children have taken someone's permission to stay. Or not,".

Govind Gowde further said, "Who is the victim in the end, the parents are the most suffering. How is it possible to appoint a security officer or constable behind every girl."

October 04, 2020, BJP MLA Surendra Singh said, "I am an MLA as well as a teacher. Such incidents (like rape) can be stopped only by sanskar (Sanskriti) and not shasan (good governance) or talwar (sword or strength). referring to)." on Saturday.

"This is my religion, the religion of the government, but also the religion of the family. The government is committed to safety, the family should also be committed to inculcating good values ​​in their children. Sanskars and government can make India beautiful. , There is no other choice." He can be heard saying in a video. He was responding to a question from a journalist who asked him: "Why do you think rape cases continue when people say this is Ram Rajya?"

1st November 2020, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Mullappally Ramachandran, said "Every day, this woman would wake up saying that she was raped by someone. No one can trust a woman like her. If you (Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan) think you are going to target us can get an adulterer, then the people of the kingdom will win." do not believe.

He said "If someone says that it happened once, it is understandable, but she says that everyone raped her. A woman with self-respect will end her life if she is raped or will try to prevent it from happening again”.

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Oct 08, 2020,

BJP's Ranjit Bahadur Srivastava said, 'The victim must have called the boy to the ground as they were having an affair. This news is already covered on social media and news channels. After that she would have been caught.

Spotting even more nonsense, he added, "Such girls are found dead in few places. They will be found dead in sugarcane, corn and millet fields or in bushes, rivulets of forests. Why are they never found dead in paddy? Or wheat fields?" (Offensive remarks from leaders)

07th August 2017 Such cases come to the fore and girls are more likely to be chased if they are outside so girls should not be seen roaming on the street after few hours of the evening.

Talking to a news channel, Bhatti said that this incident would not have happened had she not been out in the middle of the night. "Such cases do happen and girls are more likely to be stalked if they are taken out at odd hours," Bhatti said.

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