We often heard these narratives like “Let it go,” “Ignore them,” “It is normal”, “Girls, you should have been more careful,” “Boys will be boys” and so on. Every woman at some point in her life must have encountered such narratives when she was harassed or subjected to inappropriate behaviour by men. We kept on hearing incidents where the women were sexually objectified. ‘Bois Locker Room’ was one such incident. This incident is all about an Instagram group chat, named “Bois locker room” where a bunch of male students, the majority of them are teenagers from different schools shared objectionable pictures of women, including underage girls, objectified them, made “jokes” about their body and allegedly made comments about raping them.
Read More: Importance of Sex Education
When group chats went viral on social media, some of the members of the group chat were so furious that they planned to avenge themselves and thrust their masculinity further by getting back at the women by ruining their “reputation.” This did not end there. A new, but this time a private page by the name “Bois locker room 2.0” emerged. The group chat is one of the most sinister manifestations of misogyny. Many on social media defended them, saying they were only “casually” talking and didn’t really “harm” the girls. But this is not okay. Those who are supporting this are equally responsible for normalizing the rape culture.
Read More: The Pathologization of Female Emotions
Misogyny begins at home and rape culture runs way deeper in our lives. This patriarchal society has normalized rape culture and toxic masculinity in a way that children from “well-educated” families can unapologetically talk about raping women, dismiss it as “boys talk,” and feel proud about the same. Male privilege is a real and existential threat. It is time we recognize that and do something about it.
Read More: Raising Boys in 21st Century
On top of that, all such incidents take a women’s or girls’ mental health a toll, including rising rates of depression, trauma, anxiety, and suicidal behaviour. Research indicates such frequent incidents in a female’s life are associated with decreased mental health and well-being, low confidence, life satisfaction, happiness and high levels of psychological distress in their life. All this creates a feeling of distrust and suspicion of the opposite gender as well when it comes to getting into a relationship with a guy or tying the knot with them. Hence, it’s pivotal for all of us to understand the root cause of the problem. The biggest problem is the lack of knowledge among teenagers and youngsters. To bridge the gap, the government should introduce a sex education curriculum in India.
Read More: The Impact of Domestic Violence on Women’s Mental Health
As of now, there isn’t any formal education related to sex. Even the reproduction chapter taught in the science subject is limited to the textbook. There are resources available on the internet, yet such issues are well understood when it is illustrated with sensitivity and two-way communication. Thus, It’s high time we push for a comprehensive sex education curriculum that goes beyond the birds and bees. Teachers, parents and kids need to be involved in designing the curriculum. Emphasis should be on young people’s overall sexual health. Access to ‘right’ information about sex should be imparted to children.
Read More: The Mental Health of Household Women
Alongside this, mental health practitioners must undergo counselling sessions for those who are in immediate need. Steps by both the Government, as well as Mental Health Counselors, together would improve such situations and positively channel their energies. This way, we will be able to empower our youth so that they can make informed decisions in their life.
Leave feedback about this