The movement aims to bring the topic of revenge porn into living room conversations so that both young girls and their parents are familiar with the idea and aware of their legal rights. Tanisha Saxena spoke to experts to bring to our readers an expose on the movement.
Revenge porn is defined as a type of digital abuse in which private and sexual material in the form of photos or videos is shared without the consent of those pictured. Shockingly, there are no such official statistics on revenge pornography in India, simply because it has not been declared a crime yet. With the rise of social media and the ease of anonymity that it provides, non-consensual sharing has become the norm.
In a bid to help the people facing the issue of revenge porn, entrepreneurs Abhishek Singh and Neeti Goel initiated the ‘No Shame Movement’. Victim shaming and guilt psychology prevent women from seeking legal help and that’s exactly where this movement steps in.
Under this movement, which is an initiative by United By Blood (a not-for-profit civil society on a mission to promote inclusive empowerment founded by IAS and entrepreneur Abhishek Singh), they provide legal assistance with the help of a dedicated team of young female lawyers, who will address the grievance of students. It is a toll-free helpline number (851009007), where women can seek help from 10 am to 6 pm.The team aims to help the victim in filing a police complaint in cases the victims feel that the situation demands that a complaint should be filed.They will also educate and give appropriate advice.
The Pioneer spoke with founder IAS Abhishek Singh, and he has a lot of things to share. He said, “It all started with the MMS scandal at Chandigarh University, after reports of private videos of some female students at the hostel being uploaded on a social media website platform went viral. I was a guest speaker at the university a day before the incident happened. A lot of students started tagging me and asking for help. That’s how the “no shame movement” came into existence. Since its inception, many people have called to know about the legal provisions, and we have also kept the callers anonymous so that they can easily share it. We want to spread the idea that the victim is not accused.
In most cases, the women themselves have shared the pictures with the men, and that’s where the guilt factor comes into play. The women feel reluctant to complain about it. We must prepare society to understand that it is not the fault of women. In fact, there’s an example I always give to make people understand the concept. For example, you go out without locking your home, and when you come back, you see a robbery has occurred.
So, who is to blame? The issue is that the majority of us believe it is our fault, which is the guilt factor. In an ideal society, no one should steal from your home. Similarly, how can we blame these women? The person who violates privacy and does such offensive things without consent is in the wrong. That’s all our motif is with this movement.”
While there are hardly any data, according to reports from the National Crime Records Bureau, the amount of offensive information disseminated online increased by 108% between 2019 and 2021 alone. In fact, as per the Ministry of Child and Women Development, only 1 in 100 battered women ever report the abuse they suffer.
We connected with Dr. Pooja V. Anand, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, and convenor of the Women’s Development Cell. Applauding the movement, she said, “I believe the “no shame movement” is a significant step in creating awareness about an extremely important issue. Incidents of non-consensual image sharing often go unpunished due to the shame and stigma attached to them. Hence, the first thing to focus on is that there should be no victim blaming; rather, these cases should be brought to light, and the accused should be punished.
At the individual level, this can be done by not doubting oneself and taking the right course of action, and at the systemic level, this can be done by making it safe for the victim to come forward and talk about it without the fear of being judged.”
Recently, actresses Sara Ali Khan and Rakul Preet Singh joined IAS officer turned actor Abhishek Singh in providing assistance to young girls who fall victim to revenge pornography. In an exclusive conversation with us, Sara Ali Khan told us, “Anyone shouldn’t be ashamed and shouldn’t be guilty of something that is not their fault.
I agree with that 100 per cent. Men must be spoken to, and men must be treated, or they will face social and legal discrimination. But I think as a starting point, as a woman, we also have power. If we come together, once we have at least gone through something or even before, we can create a safe space. This is what I believe.”
Indeed, the movement aims to bring the topic of revenge porn into living room conversations so that both young girls and their parents are familiar with the idea and aware of their legal rights. “There should be absolutely no scope for someone to blackmail a girl with the non-consensual use of their private images,” added Bharatendu Verma, a founding member of United by Blood.
Further, we connected with Rakul Preet Singh to understand her perspective, and she asserted, “I am actually wondering how people do not feel ashamed of what’s happening. The first and foremost thought that a woman has is of what society will think and how her parents will react. But one has to try to take this very thought of being guilty out of the mind. Gradually, we have to remove this stigma. So, once the women are able to take that shame out of their heads, that’s when they’ll be able to make the right decision. Yes, it’s difficult, but the only way out.”
Concluding this entire discourse, we have Ankita Jain, a counselling and sports psychologist based in Hyderabad, who has been working for two decades with clinical populations, community work, and teaching. She also supports national athletes and teams. She summed up, “Two people in a relationship have equal responsibility.Why blame just one side? The mindset that the women are alone and won’t get support gives them the courage to attack and manipulate. What if society supported women?”
