SHILLONG, Sep 1: A young woman from Shillong filed a rape complaint on Saturday against two men, one of whom was arrested. The other was absconding.
The complaint has triggered a wave of trolling, largely by men, on social media platforms. They have virtually accused the woman of framing the two men.
This has ironically underlined the vulnerability of women in a matrilineal society.
Iamonlang Syiem, Chairperson of the Meghalaya State Women’s Commission, expressed concern over the mental anguish victims endure, particularly in the face of public scrutiny and online harassment. She emphasised how society can be quick to judge victims without considering the trauma they have suffered.
“It is rather strange how people focus on the victim’s actions rather than imagining the agony she is going through,” she said.
Syiem requested YouTubers and news channels to turn off their comment sections while reporting on such cases. “The agony I feel when reading such comments is immense. Imagine what the victim must go through, first having been violated and then facing character assassination!” she said.
In this recent case, social media comments ranged from outright disbelief to victim-blaming. One comment read, “I don’t believe it, because there are other types of girls.” Others referred to a previous incident where a girl was violated by someone she knew, and she was questioned for visiting the friend’s place in the early hours of the morning.
Women’s rights activist Agnes Kharshiing echoed Syiem’s concerns, criticising the harsh scrutiny that victims face. “The news channels or whoever puts it up should turn off their comments section. It takes years for women to get justice, during which they must repeatedly recount the horrors they were put through. And here we are, calling out the women, questioning their integrity,” she said.
She questioned the societal tendency to shift blame onto victims, asking, “Why is there no accountability for men? Why is character assassination reserved for women while men who continue their actions go free?”
The challenges of reporting sexual violence were further highlighted by a college student from Shillong, who shared her experience of being violated by her friends. Speaking anonymously, she said: “I never reported this incident because I honestly never had the courage. I wasn’t ready for the backlash, questioning why I let that happen to me. For a long time, I blamed myself.”
