Every day, we come across multiple rape headlines. A headline we read and move on from. Different places, same words. We read them while waiting for classes to start, while doom-scrolling through Instagram or Twitter, or in between random notifications.
These headlines give us a moment of discomfort and anger. But then we lock our phone, get on with our day, and don’t think about them again. Somewhere along the way, these headlines have stopped shocking us. They have become so common that they barely interrupt our day anymore — not because they matter less, but because we have learned how to live around them.
This feeling has become so normal that we don’t even ask why anymore. We don’t wait for justice or consequences because we know it could take an eternity. Sexual violence in India is no longer treated as a crisis, but as an expected part of everyday news. Indian citizens, and even foreigners, have come to accept the idea that India is unsafe for women, and that as a woman, you should leave the country if you want to live peacefully.
The public’s reaction to these headlines is an even bigger problem than the headlines themselves. It is baffling how people are no longer outraged by them.
I recently read a headline about two disturbing rape cases.
One where a six-year-old girl was raped by two minors. Yes, you read that right, a SIX-YEAR-OLD raped by two MINORS!
Another one being a DISABLED daughter raped and impregnated by HER FATHER!
These headlines sent a shiver through my spine. Two separate rape reports surfaced within days of each other. These cases should have dominated national conversation, but they barely did. There were no sustained debates and no prolonged outrage. Just a brief moment of attention before they were buried under another set of similar headlines.
What are policy and policy-makers for?
The same pattern followed when Karnataka’s MLA publicly remarked, “If rape is inevitable, lie down and enjoy it.” What happened after this remark was made? Did that MLA lose his position? No. Did he face any kind of consequences? No. Did the people present in that assembly who laughed at this disturbing remark face any consequences? Again, NO! The statement sparked momentary anger online, but no real accountability followed.
Even marital rape is legal in India. This entire sentence sounds so horrifying, but do we see people raising their voices against this? No. Do we see the government even considering making it illegal? No! In India, if you want to rape a woman just marry her. How normal, right?
When such violent crimes are forgotten so quickly and statements and laws this disturbing face no consequences, it sends a clear message that India has a culture that normalises vulgarity and trivialises violence against women.
Familiarity should worry us more than the headline itself.
The way we consume news today contributes to this normalisation. Tragedies are reduced to numbers: views, likes, reposts, measured by how long they trend rather than what they change. Attention drops faster than engagement.
Why are we no longer disturbed or disgusted by such headlines? Why have we normalised violence against women? Why do people laugh at it? And why are women told to treat jokes about such atrocious crimes as “just jokes”?
Nothing about these headlines has become smaller; only our reaction to them has. And perhaps that is the most unsettling part. A headline about sexual violence has become something we read and move on from. And that familiarity should worry us more than the headline itself.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, call 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1(800) 799-SAFE (7233) or visit thehotline.org
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit hotline.rainn.org.
For more such articles, visit Her Campus at MUJ. And for a tour in my corner, visit Arpita Bhatt at HCMUJ.