Hyderabad:Members of the Women and Transgender Organisations Joint Action Committee (JAC) said mob molestation of film stars speaks less about women’s attire and more about how men behave.
Expressing concern over incidents of mob molestation during pre-launch events of films, the committee said that focusing on women’s attire shifts accountability away from perpetrators and places the burden of violence on victims.
“Victim-blaming gives a free pass to molesters and rapists instead of holding perpetrators responsible,” the statement said, adding that such attitudes reinforce rape culture.
The committee pointed out that questions such as why a woman dressed a certain way or why she was outside at a particular time divert attention from the core issue of criminal behaviour. Instead, the society must question why perpetrators choose to act violently and why they believe they can escape consequences, it said.
Referring to recent instances of online abuse, the committee cited the harassment faced by actor Anasuya and singer Chinmayi after they spoke against patriarchal views on women’s clothing.
The statement said Anasuya had been subjected to sustained online abuse, including the circulation of private photographs sourced from social media, family events and personal occasions. Such acts, it said, amounted to a serious violation of privacy and dignity.
The committee also criticised television debates and online content that, it said, promote misogynistic and sarcastic narratives targeting women’s autonomy. It alleged that some channels prioritised TRPs over social responsibility by creating content that mocked and shamed women’s choices. Such content, it said, normalised the idea that women’s bodies were open to public “discussion and dissection”.
The statement further noted that portraying Telugu men as lacking self-control and as potential offenders based on women’s clothing was both inaccurate and insulting. “These regressive views, like victim-blaming and stereotypes about men, have no place in our society,” the statement said.
The committee objected to attempts to justify victim-blaming in the name of culture, stating that respect for women meant respecting their autonomy and right to live without fear, not policing their bodies or behaviour.
“For us, dressing is about weather, comfort, and confidence. Just like it is for men. Let’s celebrate our culture as a progressive culture changing with time, not constrain it with patriarchal notions,” the committee said in the statement.
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