#BoysLockerRoom amassing thousands of posts on Twitter and other platforms.
Highlights
- Delhi Police filed cases linked to Instagram group, "Bois Locker Room"
- Members of this group said to be students from Delhi's top schools
- Controversy flared after users posted screengrabs on Twitter
An online group allegedly involving teenage boys from Delhi schools casually talking about rape, sexual objectification and slut-shaming schoolgirls has set off a storm on social media. Delhi Police has filed cases linked to the Instagram group, which has now been deactivated.
The cyber-crime division of the police has also written to Facebook-owned Instagram for details on the group that is every parent's worst nightmare.
The controversy flared on Sunday after several social media users posted screenshots on Instagram and Twitter of an online group called "Bois Locker Room".
They show members of the group - said to be students from some of Delhi's top schools - posting photos of teenage girls without their consent along with comments too crude to be reproduced.
A number of conversations purportedly showed members talking about sexual assault often against their own classmates, raising questions about normalising of rape, misogyny and objectification in schools.
The allegations triggered outrage on social media with the top trending hashtag #BoysLockerRoom amassing thousands of posts on Twitter and other platforms.
The Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Swati Maliwal called for the arrest of those associated with the group.
"The DCW has sent notices to Instagram and Delhi Police. We want these boys to be arrested immediately and the strongest action to be taken against them," she told NDTV.
A social media user by the username @ashnaasharma, one of the first to highlight the group, wrote on Twitter, "I have never in my life been so furious. These shameless f***** are not even slightly guilty about what they've done. They're going around and hacking our accounts now. NOTHING CAN OR WILL STOP US."
why are “boys locker room” chats so normalised? how is it okay to comment cheaply on a girl's physical appearance? this should not be normalised. an incident took place today which makes me feel unsafe as a woman. i stand against it, action should be taken.
— anuvaa (@anuvaa1) May 3, 2020
Every single time a girl takes a stand for herself, fear ensues at the back of her mind. “What if he starts following me home?” “What if he throws acid on me?” “What if he morphs my pictures?” “What if he hacks into my account?” “What if he rapes me?” (2/4) #boyslockerroom
— Tanya (@tanyadubeyy) May 3, 2020
They are mature enough to sexualize young girls.
— Iqra Khilji (@Iqra_K_) May 4, 2020
And if they don't face social sanctions for their actions, they'll just get deeper into the toxic male solidarity that protects perverts and carry it to college hostels and workplaces.
They must face consequences. #boyslockerroom
Reading #boyslockerroom chats is giving me chills to the core .
— Half girlfriend ???? (@Choco_ruffle) May 4, 2020
Aren't these those men whom the society encourage by saying 'bache hai galtiya ho jaati hai' and those statements like ' ladkiyo ki naa me haa hoti hai' .
Patriarchy is there in our movies, political parties & all around us.
— Advaid (അദ്വൈത്) (@Advaidism) May 4, 2020
Misogynistic & Sexist culture comes from a deep sense of entitlement that lingers everywhere in Indian society regardless of caste, class & education.
An issue which we all need to address.#boyslockerroom
They drew vulgar things in the school washrooms, wrote your name and phone number next to it,you cried for years but couldnt tell your parents?Remember how the entire school went to the washroom just to see it and giggle ? NOT AGAIN! Raise your voice against this #boyslockerroom
— Mishkka (@mishkkasingh) May 4, 2020
(1/8) #boyslockerroom has the potential to turn into the MeToo of the teen world if more whistleblowers choose to do the right thing over being 'one of the bros'. I'd expected this wave to sweep other industries before it reaches teens, but honestly, this is where it SHOULD begin
— Binjal Shah (@Binjal_S) May 4, 2020
According to social media accounts that posted the screenshots, members of "Bois Locker Room" even threatened to leak nude photographs of the women who reported them.
Sexist attitudes, rape jokes and so called "locker room banter" are considered by experts the foundations that escalate from normalisation of rape culture to outright sexual assault.
A widely-publicised international poll in 2018, at the height of the #MeToo movement, ranked India as the most dangerous country for women due to the high risk of sexual violence.
