Revenge Porn: The Desi Problem with Reporting It

Revenge porn is a serious crime that can have detrimental effects on one’s life.

We live in a society where crimes are reported daily, however, revenge porn is one that is rarely reported or taken seriously.

In the Desi community, porn in general is viewed negatively. Therefore sexual crimes or abuse are rarely spoken about or even reported.

A lot of individuals are scared to come forward with their stories/experiences for a variety of reasons.

DESIblitz looks at why there is a lack of reporting of this crime in the Desi community.

What is Revenge Porn?

Revenge porn also referred to as non-consensual pornography describes the distribution of intimate images or videos without the consent of the individuals within the images and videos.

This distribution is usually done with malicious intent and used as an act of revenge by the perpetrators to harm, intimidate, or embarrass victims.

Due to the cruel nature of this distribution, revenge porn has been made a criminal offence.

The act is now illegal in many countries across the world including the United States, the UK, and many European countries.

In 2015, the UK government finally recognised revenge porn victims as victims of sexual abuse and criminalised the malicious act with perpetrators receiving a maximum of two years in prison.

Despite the laws against revenge porn, not every victim of the crime has access to or even feels as though they can report it.

This may be due to a variety of reasons, especially in the Desi community.

There is a stigma attached to the topic making individuals feel shamed, fearful, and alone.

It is also a crime that disproportionately affects women. A report found that 73% of callers to the Revenge Porn Helpline were females.

High-profile celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Zara McDermott, Georgia Harrison, and Rihanna have all been victims of this wicked crime. 

There have even been several documentaries based on the brutalities of this crime.

One of them is the ITV documentary, Revenge Porn: Georgia vs Bear which features ex-love island star and tv personality, Georgia Harrison. 

In a Twitter clip, Georgia expresses how she wants her documentary to:

“Help inspire other victims of revenge porn and let them know they have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.”

The documentary explores the struggles, trials and tribulations revenge porn victims suffer as they battle to receive justice and details the arduous journey Georgia faced on her way to receive justice.

Threat to Reputation and Future Prospects

Reputation in the South Asian community is viewed as integral to individuals’ identities.

The exaggerated importance of reputation is one of the reasons that many Desi women feel they can’t report the crime of revenge porn when it happens to them.

They fear that reporting the incident and admitting they were involved in a sexual act in some way could harm their reputation as well as their families.

In their minds, some victims think that this event will give the family a “negative” perception.

There have been several cases in the South Asian community where revenge porn has essentially ruined the lives of young Desi women.

For instance, the vindictive and jealous actions of Jamel Ali in 2018 led to a woman feeling suicidal and her family in a state of shock, disgust, and lasting psychological damage.

After being disapproved of by his ex-girlfriend’s father, Jamel vindictively sent explicit videos and images of him with his ex-girlfriend to her father and threatened to ruin his reputation.

Cases like this indicate just how much reputation clouds the topic of sex and porn in the South Asian community.

We spoke to 36-year-old Tanisha Lad*, who said:

“Reputation is such a big thing in the South Asian community.”

“Even talking about sex is met with shame.”

“So it’s understandable that young girls don’t feel they can report revenge porn crimes when their reputation and future are on the line.”

The pressure to maintain a good and pure reputation is such a large burden impacting Desi women that it prevents them from ever speaking out.

Fear

Fear can be a major obstacle in stopping Desi women from reporting revenge porn as a crime.

Fear over further retaliation from their perpetrator stops many victims from even coming to terms with what has happened to them.

This is especially true in cases whereby the victim may know the perpetrator or have had a previous relationship with them.

There may be the fear that they could be stalked, harassed, threatened, or ostracised from their community if they choose to report the crime.

Therefore rather than report what happens to them, victims tend to live a life in fear. Tanisha Lad explained:

“Fear is such a big thing stopping women from reporting crimes.”

“It’s not just fear over being harassed even more, there is the fear of being shamed if the revenge porn spreads and people in the community find out.”

As Tanisha describes there’s an added fear for Desi women because of the amount of importance placed on reputation and honour in South Asian culture.

Fear is clearly a big driver for the low number of reports of revenge porn but addressing this fear and making victims feel less alone in their struggle can encourage them to seek justice.

As fear can also lead to loneliness and the isolation of Desi women, it’s also vital that there is network support for them.

Lack of Support and Awareness

Awareness and adequate support surrounding revenge porn in the Desi community are severely lacking.

There are minimal support networks for victims in the Desi community which makes it challenging for them to get the help they need.

This is largely due to limited resources and a major lack of awareness amongst the community as the topic is rarely discussed and often met with shame rather than being considered serious.

21-year-old Naya Lad says:

“There’s barely any awareness of revenge porn in the South Asian community I think which is a real problem.

“When it does happen to victims, they don’t even know how serious the crime is.”

“They’re at a loss for what to do.”

There are barely any education initiatives surrounding sex-based crimes and exploitation in the South Asian community which makes the topic harder for Desi women to bring up.

This lack of real awareness often leads to a culture of victim-blaming and stigma surrounding revenge porn.

The victim-blaming culture where victims are the ones that are shamed and held accountable for the actions of the perpetrator is incredibly damaging to the mental and physical well-being of individuals.

It can exacerbate the trauma and harm experienced by victims to the point they believe they were in the wrong as opposed to the person that harmed them.

Addressing the lack of education and awareness is essential to aid the healing of victims from trauma as well as encouraging them to speak up about the topic alongside a healthy support system.

Proof

Revenge porn laws are still quite flawed and fraught with several mistakes in the process that individuals feel they can’t report the crime.

As with many crimes, proving them can be very difficult. However, when the evidence is provided it is not always supported or accepted by authorities.

This leads to a lack of trust in authorities, which already exists in many communities due to the corruption of the police.

There have been several reports describing the institutional racism, homophobia and corruption that exists within the Met police force which has undoubtedly caused communities to believe they are untrustworthy.

26-year-old Harsha Joshi* who was a victim of revenge porn in 2018 said:

“At the time I didn’t think my case would be taken seriously.

“I was wary about putting my trust in authorities.

“When I finally called up to try to report what happened, it felt like the police didn’t know what to do.”

“The whole thing was dealt with very poorly that I ended up being more upset and eventually withdrew my case.”

It is not just the authorities that there appears to be a lack of trust in, but the revenge porn laws themselves that people don’t believe are strong or strict enough.

A previous BBC report has shown that experts believe the laws are not fit for purpose and that police need more training on the topic.

Therefore, the lack of trust and adequate support from authorities in the Desi community needs vast improvement as it prevents women and even men from reporting revenge porn cases.

All these factors can contribute to a culture of silence surrounding revenge porn, causing many Desi women’s voices to go unheard and justice to be unserved.

Yet it’s important that the Desi community raise awareness about the impact of revenge porn to encourage more women to report this crime.

Addressing the cultural and social barriers that prevent women from reporting this crime is also crucial in facilitating change.

Revenge porn is a serious crime and should be considered such, especially in the Desi community.

If you are a victim or know someone who is of revenge porn, you are not alone. Reach out for support:

• Victim Support – 0345 6000 459
• Revenge Porn Helpline – 0345 6000 459