When poor Zainab was raped and murdered brutally we as a nation saw her face plastered over every hard and soft media outlet and site. Not only she but her family was also focus of the media for several weeks, being interviewed and camera zoomed in time and again. So much so that a not-related-person like me started to feel as if I was a part of that unfortunate household. This is repeated every time a crime is committed especially against fairer sex.
Victims and their families are the ones who become the focus of everyone’s attention. This takes away the much needed publicity away from the perpetrators. Instead of them being the subject of attention and public pressure all the nation’s emotions are focused towards sympathising with the victim’s families.
There is no harm in sympathising with the victim; rather it is much required social value. However, this sympathy, no matter in what amount cannot help alleviate the distress faced by these families and victims themselves. Our focus in the wrong direction helps the perpetrators to fall under the shadows and this saves them from social pressure and justice.
Why is that I clearly remember Zainab’s face but do not recall the face of her rapist and murderer. He did receive death sentence yet as per expectations and demands of the nation he has not been hanged publically, yet. Even today if I want to search this case, millions of Zainab’s pictures and of her families come flooding on my screen but what about Imran who actually did this heinous crime.
If we start focusing on the perpetrators, the whole media is full of their pictures, the criminals and their families are interviewed and their faces are plastered on billboards, then probably these people will lose social respect and will be clearly recognised, so much so that, these crimes lesson as a result of the social pressure and social implications.
We are living in a society where a female is blamed even for the crime committed against her. It is very hard for the victims who are lucky enough to survive to free themselves from the emotional trauma of such attacks. With no emotional support centres and very few organised efforts to help them re-enter social circle, such prolonged social media coverage on personal and familial front leaves them emotionally bleeding, when media finds another juicy story to cover
According to a scientific research, perspective of a researcher impacts the outcome of the research. Similarly perspective of focusing on crime and those who commit the crime changes the outcome of crime rate in a society. Instead of focusing on who was killed and publishing their pictures, murderers should be focused. Instead of writing so and so being a rape victim and splashing her pictures on media, snaps of the rapist should be hung on the walls of the country and social media. This leads to social pressure for justice. By doing so even if some of the powerful escape punishment, not only will they be socially embarrassed but also the delays and weakness of our judicial system can be highlighted.
This perspective change is not only needed for putting social pressure on the criminals but also to take way social pressure from the brave victims and their families who come up with the courage to demand justice. We are living in a society where a female is blamed even for the crime committed against her. It is very hard for the victims who are lucky enough to survive to free themselves from the emotional trauma of such attacks. With no emotional support centres and very few organised efforts to help them re-enter social circle, such prolonged social media coverage on personal and familial front leaves them emotionally bleeding, when media finds another juicy story to cover.
The writer is PhD in Economics from NCBAE, Lahore
Published in Daily Times, December 7th 2018.