Cant tackle drug & human trafficking in one night !

By Amitabh Kumar - Head of Media Division (Centre for Social Research)

Last week Delhi has been discussing drugs and human trafficking, as a newly elected minister decided to be the 'Hero' for some of his voters.' Khirki' (means window) a typical lower middle class area of south Delhi has been in news, being branded as Delhi's 'red light 'district. If one was to go by the some of the news channels and political statements it would seem there is an underground tunnel from 'Africa' to 'khirki' and it only allows one way traffic for drug dealers and prostitutes. (Of course for a common Indian every dark foreigner is an African: 50 Cent, Michael Jordan, Oprah, Andrew Symonds, Usain Bolt, Sarena Williams … all Africans and we also believe its one country with different states like Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya)

Last week seemed all of Delhi's crime was being run by 'Africans', though in reality most of the drug and human trafficking in Delhi is done by Indians, yup home grown poverty prone desi boys and girls.

What Somnath Bharti and his crew did, was not only criminal/racists/vigilantism but out and out stupid. No one denies the fact that drugs are easily available in Khirki (just like they are in the rest of the National Capital Region and most major cities of the country) and surely there is a booming business of prostitution, just like in any other areas of Delhi. (O yes there is prostitution in Delhi! in every part of the city, from Vasant Kunj to Kashmere gate, you don't believe me, pick up any newspaper search for an escorts add, dial the number you shall be amazed!). Why won't it be, exchange for money for sexual services is legal in India and the some of the common people ' aam aadmi/aurat' enjoy drugs.

Being a lawyer Bharti should have known that his actions were only going to sabotage the case against the alleged drug traffickers and brothel owners. Apparently Bharti had evidence, the smart move (surely known to a lawyer) would have been to submit the evidence to the magistrate (in case he did not have faith in the Police, honestly not many of us do) and forced the police to take action which would lead to conviction.

The solution to drug and human trafficking is found more in policy than in policing. As these are social crimes they exist because the common people are the consumers. Plus I don't want state intervention in how I intoxicate myself, my poison is my business and I shall not let anyone be a part of this sacred space. Similarly for prostitution, Bharti and his troopers need to understand the only victims of human trafficking are the prostitutes, putting them behind bars or deporting them is not the solution. In fact there is not easy solution, the only way to tackle these issues is through awareness, informing people about the negative aspects of drugs the exploitation and injustice involved in human trafficking. Though that takes time, patience and persistence.

Considering our know how of drugs and human trafficking comes mostly from the media ( American shows like 'The Wire' and 'Breaking Bad' being our top informants ) it is very limited. I ask myself why isn't the government looking into creating awareness generation campaigns.

Dangerous Games? Sexy Applications?

By Amitabh Kumar - Head of Media Division (Centre for Social Research)

Just recently we 'the social media citizens' witnessed/participated/got to know, about the #Fb Rape campaign. A campaign against 'Rape Culture' being promoted on Facebook. Facebook pages with graphic details of barbaric acts being shared/liked/commented upon. Facebook came up with honest replies & are constantly making efforts to keep the world’s largest social media portal away from sexual violence.

Online stalking and abuse is an ever increasing concern even amongst the most liberal advocates of Freedom of Internet from any kind of censorship/control. (I am usually a supporter of this line of thought). I want to view this from a different perspective. From the perspective of how technology is affecting the culture of sexual violence.

 

Sex & violence have been present in Video games since Online-Systems released 'SoftPorn Adventures’ back in 1981. Since then we have seen an increase in the number of games out there with sexually violent graphic content. Most of the consumers of these games are children of the age group 8-16. I am sure the arguments of bad parenting, etc. will pop up in your mind, sadly in today’s times if parents have a job they don’t have time for kids, ( if they are jobless, well then god help their little ones ). No matter how we view it, Kids are playing these games.

Of course, some people would disregard video games as child’s play, but it’s much more than that. "Video games change your brain," according to University of Wisconsin psychologist C. Shawn Green. Playing video games change the brain’s physical structure the same way as do learning to read, playing the piano, or navigating using a map. Much like exercise can build muscle, the powerful combination of concentration and rewarding surges of neurotransmitters like dopamine strengthen neural circuits that can build the brain.

At least till a couple of years back, such games had to be purchased, lately the trend has changed, thanks to piracy most of the games are available online for free. In fact if were to look into mobile games and applications one would say it has not been easier to gain access to sexually violent material. I am a recent Android convert, Just the other day while flipping through top free applications, I came across a bunch of Porn/Erotic Stories/Tear off her clothes/ Finger her to climax/ Desi Sex videos, I am sure you get the gist.

Placing myself in shoes of a 8 year old, here I am looking for some cricket game & there I find this game about how to tear of clothes of a women. Where is the fun in that? What’ so exciting about it? Is that what girls like?. So many questions but no one to answer them, at best one of the parents finds it on my phone & tells me it is wrong/evil/not for kids. All other case scenarios lead to even more confusion. So what do I suggest, to ban them?.......Never !, To control them?……. nah was not really a fan of that ever. How about we modify them, in built super sexy educational videos about sex. How about curbing the inquisitiveness in a positive direction.

Google, the marketing Giants controlling the internet, can surely do this experiment at their playstore. Don’t edit the apps, ensure they carry enough information so that the user does no 'misuse' them. Almost like a Usersmanual. What I fail to understand is how does the world best Job provider, who claims to be dedicated towards its workers, does not do the same when it comes to its users. I have been a Google believer ever since I shifted to Gmail, a company with the motto of 'Doing No Evil' is surely a corporation we can look up to for setting new trends of business practices.

A good aspect of Google & Facebook is they give users chance to flag objectionable posts/ads/apps. Though this would work wonderfully if the majority of users were active, sadly as most users avoid such content they do not indulge in reporting it. This function if looked into by some honest designers could be such an amazing tool where users can choose the content they want. Well till the time these huge corporation contemplate on being more responsible, at least we could be the ones clicking away.

We have started a petition, requesting Google to segregate Adult content on its android #Playstore, if you agree, Please Sign....