Global Health India 2017

During my stay in Southern India, I have been granted a glimpse into the way women are perceived. In India, a hierarchy of gender is practiced, where it is socially accepted by the masses that men are superior to women (Sharma, Pardasani & Nandram, 2014). This is reflected on the social sigma associated with women seeking medical intervention, specially in cases in which women undergo screenings for diseases such as HIV (Rogers et al., 2006). The determination of sex of a fetus is prohibited in India, due to the mass abortion of female fetuses that have been observed throughout the country (Sarna, 2013). The latter is important when considering the perception of sexual violence towards women in India.

Sexual violence is a global health concern; it has no discrimination of age or background. An estimated 27.5 million women in India are victims of sexual violence every year; only about 1% of these cases are reported to the authorities (Palermo, Bleck & Peterman, 2014). In 2014, a woman from Delhi was raped by an Uber driver; prior to the 2014 incident, the Uber driver had been detained for rape accusations. Following the 2014 incident, Uber implemented a panic button feature on the mobile app for passenger safety. On June 7, 2017, Eric Alexander, Uber’s president of business in Asia was terminated for accessing medical records of the 2014 rape case victim. Sources close to Mr. Alexander disclosed that the ex-Uber executive believed that the woman’s accusations were suspicious, therefore he conducted an investigated of his own (Cava, 2017). Although Uber upheld justice for the violation of the victim’s privacy and rights, the violation of those rights poses a question about the treatment of rape victims, specifically in India. Considering that only about 1% of sexual violence incidents in India are reported to the authorities, the probability of rape accusations being false are very low. The process of reporting a rape in India begins with the filing of a First Information Report (preliminary information of a cognizable offense), recording of the witness’ statement, investigation of crime scene, medical examination of survivor, signing of panchnama (confirmation that evidence has been collected), arrest of the accused, medical examination of the accused, final statement of the survivor and witness, filing of the official charges, trial, followed by delivery of judgment (Fighting Rape, n.d). This process is the ideal one, but may not be followed in all regions throughout India, which means that individuals will be less likely to lie about sexual violence and proceed to report it. Women also may face rejection from family and other members of the community after learning about the victim’s situation; blame towards the victims of sexual violence instead of the perpetuator is expressed in many cases (Sharma, Pardasani & Nandram, 2014).

The social stigma that is a product of both men and women’s perceptions on sexual violence victims is inhumane. Ignorance is stereotypically associated with lack of education on matter, but the violation of rights carried on by ex-Uber executive proves that ignorance can be found even among the most “educated.” As a global citizen, it is concerning that sexual violence is not addressed enough in India. Not only may victims of sexual violence experience psychological trauma, but also may be vulnerable to the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. Although one cannot change the established social construct, one can address these issues by educating others on the matter. Working with the Public Health Research Institute (PHRI), I have had the opportunity to witness how empowering women with their health can make a difference. PHRI has made antenatal care accessible to women throughout the state of Karnataka; counseling and education on health concerns such as HIV and cervical cancer are being offered by PHRI, which have in turn minimized the social stigma associated with women accessing health, in many rural communities. Education is a key factor in minimizing social stigma, not only do men have to be made aware of the consequences, but also other women who contribute to the unequal treatment towards victims of sexual violence.

​

​

​