The name of the eight-year-old Kathua rape victim is trending not just on social media but also on a porn site.
On Monday, it had topped the list of the most-searched names on a porn site, triggering surprise and outrage.
An official at the Centre for Internet and Society in Bengaluru attributes the curiosity to a “depraved, messed-up” mind.
Swaraj Barooah, senior programme manager at the centre, says, “It takes numbers to make something trend online.”
He attributes the unhealthy curiosity in rape footage to a lack of proper sex education in schools.
Violent acts are ingrained in the power politics and hierarchy of our society, he observes.
“There are two categories that are widely searched online --- revenge and brutality porn. While revenge porn is usually uploaded by couples who break up, brutality porn is done without recognising the humanity of the person involved,” Barooah says.
Psychiatrists think people who search for rape videos have a “sick and deviant” mind.
Dr Roshan Jain, senior psychiatrist, Apollo Hospital, thinks it calls for stringent punishment.
“The main problem with the Internet is that is it freely accessible and available on every device that we hold in our hands or carry in our bags. A click of a button will take you to millions of websites,” he says.
Watching brutality porn can become an addiction. “It is disturbing to know that such content has many takers,” he says.
Peer pressure
Counsellors working with Makkala Sahayavani (child helpline) say Bengaluru has its share of teenagers being treated for depression after watching porn sites.
“We have come across at least 10 cases in the last six months,” says a senior counsellor.
Because of peer pressure, children consider it fashionable to view pornography, and then experience guilt and low moods.
Two years in jail
Uploading and sharing pornography, especially child pornography, is taken seriously by the law.
“Downloading child pornography is an offence because it amounts to abetting a crime. It could attract a two-year term. The punishment differs on what roles are played in taking the crime forward,” says an officer.