Spiking cases of Revenge Porn in India- An alarm!

Riddhi still gets goosebumps when she recalls the events that happened 7 years ago. She calls her traumatized mind “a grave, where all of her dreams died”. “It was the start of the hell” when she got to know that she was getting posted everywhere, she said. Her father, who was a school teacher, got to see her videos on his student’s cell phone. It was even more embarrassing for her when he told her mum and other family members about the same. For an Indian girl of a conservative family, it was a death bed she was sleeping on. Being beaten, locked, she could not stop crying for days. Her cell phone was seized and was not allowed to meet any of her friends.

Her relatives, neighbors and most of the people around her have seen the videos. The fact that everyone knows how I look without clothes, how I respond and so, is so very embarrassing. Initially, some people could not believe it was her video, but they looked and they were! So many videos of her were available online with millions of views, downloads, and shares. In an orthodox society, she gradually became the talk of the town. Her personal life was not personal anymore, and most of all, she thought it could not be personal ever again. People justifying her body, counting her moles, discussing her lips, abusing her like authority, become the everyday norm. 

Inside, she knew it would never go away! She tried to kill herself, harmed herself multiple times but this could not turn down her video from the internet. Isolating herself was the only option if she continued living. Losing a job, receiving threats for her and her family was not a shocking event at all.

She tried every possible escape, changed her appearance, changed her name, changed her city, but how could she change her fear, the fear to be exposed, the fear of being identified, and the fear of being ashamed about herself. After a couple of years, she decided to go public, to fight with her culprit legally. 

“I used to be ashamed about it, but now when I got my senses, I’m a bit more empowered,” said Riddhi. “I refuse to be silent; I was tired of the assault, the threats. People think it’s OK to say: ‘You shouldn’t have taken the pictures.’ Would you tell a rape victim she shouldn’t have worn a short skirt?

“I’m in a relationship now and if my partner and I are apart and I want to send him a picture, I’ll do it. Telling women not to take a photo isn’t the answer,” she says. “Some women are coerced into it. Others have their pictures taken when they’re asleep or in the shower, without their knowledge. You can end up on deep fake stuff that everyone believes is real. You just don't need to exist to become a victim.” She is still fighting for herself and for women like her.

She continued fighting for 4 years, many times she decided to give up but then the fight of her existence kept on bothering her. 

A game-changing conviction that could shake up a controversial industry- A guilty verdict of a man who happens to be her ex-boyfriend. After 6 years of struggle, ups and downs he got arrested. The police found out that he had posted thousands of nude and sexually exclusive photos of many of his ex-lovers on his website. He said, he enjoys it when nude pictures and videos are splashed across the website, women who ditched him were humiliated miserably. He thought he just gave them a lesson, which was pretty common after the breakup.

Luckily he was taken down in custody following his location. He accepted that the whole idea was to take revenge on ladies who ditched him and moved on. The conviction is a good victory for a very big list of victims who had been stalked but were unable to do anything. Well, her ex was charged and received a six-month suspended sentence. Since this abuse is not categorized as a sex crime, he could not pay the price that he should! India doesn't have any specific laws to deal with revenge porn but various acts like the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act have given leverage to the victims who claim justice.

There are thousands of cases like Riddhi, some break down and die, others get used to humiliation, while some fight back.

Hey, lovely Readers, India might take many years for legislation of such laws, but till that humanity can take a stand, we can take a strong stand. The norms might not be able to help the victims but we can! We don't even need to fight her battle, we can simply help by not sharing, not letting anyone share, deleting if we can, and not threatening the victim. Guys, is that very tough? I guess no! Promise me, dear readers, next time you see such pictures or videos, you won't share or discuss at least.