On 3rd May 2020, several Instagram accounts posted screenshots on their stories about a chat group called “Bois Locker Room”.
This chat group was formed on Instagram that consisted of boys aged between 15-17 years. The screenshots revealed them talking about the hideous crime like rape, morphing girl’s bodies in their images, disparaging remarks about the physical appearances, and whatnot, just so casually!
Ashnaa Sharma, a Delhi based influencer with nearly 27000 followers on her Instagram was the first one to voice about this derisive act. Soon the news spread like fire on different social media platforms and it became a piece of hot trending news.
From influencers like, Mridul Madhok, Akademi Magazine, Ted The Stoner to the artists like, @bikram2106, Shafali Bidkikar etc, young girls shared their concern over this filthy act. Few girls who shared this news extensively had got their accounts hacked. Those boys are said to be the students of reputed institutions from Delhi and hailing from notable families.
Where should we draw a line? We surely do not expect such a substandard act from our young generation. Where are we heading to? Where is the gap which is still there? Is the message not properly conveyed to the young hearts after #metoo movement and justice to the Nirbhaya case? Is this a new age normalization where women’s safety has become a mere topic of discussion? There are so many questions right now popping in our heads.
Few say they are school going ‘kids’, no severe actions can be taken against them. But if these ‘kids’ are mature enough to objectify and sexualize young girls, they should, and they can face social sanctions.
Online abuse is violence against women. It reflects an overt expression of gender discrimination that has been nurturing in the realms of their cranial nerves that need to get fixed. If not, this one time letting go can act as a steppingstone to the rooted toxicity which shall result in male Solidarity, Patriarchy, and Misogyny. The Patriarchal mentality would inflict deeper wounds both offline and online space by them in due course of time.
Easy access to the internet has become an important part of human existence today. Space, a platform, and a stage it is where many voices are being heard, tales are being shared, the marginalized population has got a chance to speak in front of masses and in between all these women and young girls feeling insecure or unsafe online, impedes her freedom or we can say not letting her enjoy her basic human rights, carefree.
What happened on 3rd May 2020, on Instagram, is not new. According to India Amnesty International women who express their opinion online are targeted with abuse. An 11-year analysis by WMC Speech Project it was found that women made up 72% of victims and men 47.5% of perpetrators for online Harassment. All these facts, figures, study, and research represents the varying degrees of how women and young girls are unsafe even online.
It is not the time for voicing constructive dialogues or shaming them but to act. Those boys should be dealt with police intervention and notified laws under the India Penal Code – Punishment for Online Harassment like Section 345 A. The Section 354A of IPC punishes offense of sexual harassment with 3 years of imprisonment and/or fine. It is time to understand that yes, the internet is a privilege to us but misusing it is NOT.
Let us not keep those questions above remain unanswered after all we must work towards making both spaces online and offline safe for all.
This article is written by Alisha Srivastava. You can find her writing on her Instagram. Follow her to read her writings.
This article is Curated by @frameshade. Follow him for his photography work
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