Reaction To Prevention: The Urgency Of Tackling Rape Culture In India

When a rape case makes headlines in India, the intensity of public reaction often depends on the brutality of the crime and the details involved. Instances of sexual violence, such as the gang rape of Nirbhaya in 2012 and the R.G Kar Medical College and Hospital rape case, triggered widespread outrage, protests, candlelight vigils, and intense media coverage. But while the outrage is momentary, the long-term consequences often fall squarely on the shoulders of women themselves. Crime reports, surveys, and news stories about rape in India lead to societal sanctions on women’s freedom, mobility, and safety, as though their actions are to blame for the violence they face.

Restrictions On Women Won't Solve The Issue Of Safety

Women are told not to stay out late, hostels enforce strict curfews, and female students face unrealistic deadlines—measures meant to "protect" them from the growing threat of gender-based violence. These restrictions, instead of challenging the root causes of rape, perpetuate harmful gender norms and fuel a culture of fear among women. Instead of addressing misogyny, these actions reinforce the idea that women need to be controlled to prevent harm. This approach fails to shift the focus onto the perpetrators of violence and leaves women trapped in a cycle of fear and victim-blaming.

It's been over two months since the rape and murder of a doctor took place in Kolkata. But we must continue asking - Why should women need to be protected when they should simply be safe? Why is the burden of avoiding violence placed on them rather than holding the perpetrators accountable?

While these cases of violence against women in India have been used to mobilize support that leads to legal reforms, this approach has its limits. The focus on the brutality of specific cases risks overshadowing the structural violence and micro-aggressions that women face daily. True prevention requires addressing these underlying power dynamics and changing how society views gender and violence.

As a recent National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report indicates, one rape case is reported every 16 minutes in India, and countless more go unreported. The culture of rape persists not because women are inherently vulnerable but because gender norms and power structures allow men to exert control over women’s bodies with impunity. Society's response to this crisis needs to evolve from reactive measures to preventive actions.

The idea that rape is an isolated act overlooks the everyday violence that feeds into the more significant problem. Gender-based violence, including sexual harassment, domestic violence, and microaggressions, creates a hostile environment that normalizes abuse. Prevention of rape starts by addressing this continuum of violence that women face in their everyday lives.

Small steps towards the construction of gender, beginning from childhood, also play a critical role in enabling gender-based violence. From birth, boys are treated as strong, autonomous beings, while girls are seen as vulnerable and in need of protection. This early socialization reinforces harmful gender roles, allowing boys to grow up believing they have the right to control women. As feminist scholar Ruth Hartley suggests, this process of manipulation and canalization shapes how children view their roles in society and their relationships with others. If boys are taught to be strong and autonomous while girls are taught to be passive, the roots of violence are planted early.

The key to preventing rape lies in addressing the everyday actions, behaviours, and beliefs that create the conditions for violence to occur. Prevention does not leave footprints, but violence does, and its impact is profound. By challenging gender norms, holding perpetrators accountable, emphasizing community accountability and focusing on the root causes of violence, we can create a society where women no longer need to live in fear.

It is essential to move away from the reactive, victim-blaming approach that has long dominated responses to rape. Instead, we must work towards a future where prevention is at the forefront and where women are free to live their lives without the threat of violence hanging over them. The cycle of violence can be broken, but it requires a fundamental shift in our mindsets. Only then can we create a safer world for all.

Authored by Smita Bharti, Executive Director of Sakshi, a rights-based NGO and recipient of Karmaveer Puraskar for Social Change.