Abstract
Using Carol Bacchi’s ‘What’s the Problem Represented to Be?’ approach, this research examines how Indian men who perpetrate sexual violence are represented in Australian print media, commencing with the ‘Nirbhaya Delhi gang-rape’ case in 2012. Media discourses construct truth and knowledge claims about violence against women, which shape social ‘consciousness’. This study found that Australian print media discourses about Indian men’s use of sexual violence positioned violence within Indian culture, ignored men’s responsibility, rendered invisible the global problem of gendered violence and blamed Indian women who experienced violence. As social workers it is important to be aware of and challenge these essentialising gendered, colonial, and racist discourses that perpetuate myths that ‘culture’ is the explanation behind violence against Indian women by Indian men. Such discourses may discourage women from reporting and seeking support for their experiences of violence to avoid bringing shame to the community. This paper interrogates unequal gender, race and colonial power relations that shape media discourses about sexual violence in Indian communities. It discusses the social work implications of these media discourses on women in Australia’s Indian community to improve accessibility to culturally safe victim and perpetrator services and supports.
Presenters
Jillian BarraudStudent, Social Work, University of South Australia, South Australia, Australia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Community Diversity and Governance
KEYWORDS
Indian culture, Media representation, Sexual violence, Social Work
