Instead of highlighting their problems that force them to take up prostitution, they are insulted, guilt-framed, and harassed in the lust for ratings
The television medium thrives on scandals, conspiracy stories, shaming, and so on. Most TV channels will do anything to gain ratings, and by anything, it means anything!
There are certain shows I absolutely loath. The ones to be explored in this piece are the shows where the TV channels start policing and perform illegal attacks on prostitution dens to boost their ratings. Prostitution is a serious debate. Women are often forced into prostitution.
The TV channels bully these helpless victims in the name of moral policing. While both genders are involved in prostitution, in a patriarchal society as ours the women are held responsible. As has been documented in multiple ways and countless times, prostitution provides women with livelihood. Their families would otherwise starve. In many cases, women are forced into prostitution by their families or organized gangs. None of this figures in shows, marked by moral policing, hosted by self-righteous hosts.
The anchorpersons, posing as journalists, horrendously harass and bully all these poor women on TV screens. Instead of highlighting their problems that force them to take up prostitution, they are insulted, guilt-framed, and harassed in the lust for ratings. The TV channels have no other agenda. If they did, they would be helping these women escape prostitution instead of teaching them moral lessons and lessons on religion. They should reach out to these women off-screen and give them choices. They should pursue the lawmakers, push the government to provide for the poor, to reduce unemployment, create job openings for women so the women have choices. Most importantly, how to rehabilitate the women forced into prostitution.
Anchorperson Zara Gul recently took it upon herself to finding such places and humiliating the women on TV. She was hosting ‘Undercover’, a ‘thriller-cum-expose’ on CNBC. She was self-righteously exposing undercover prostitution business in Ramzan. The show was aired on 2nd August. The CNBC crew members by baiting contacts, gain illegal entry into private places. Then they went ahead to harass the women they found. One clearly finds some women crying as the anchorperson calls them liars while spurting her self-righteous dogma on them.
This approach to the problem is indeed counter-productive. Instead of addressing the problem, such shows put the lives of these women in danger. When you are not ready to listen to someone’s plight how can you claim that you are doing such programs to bring awareness and reform the society. These women need help. They should not be exploited for TV ratings.
It is debatable if April 26 episode was any better from the one discussed above mere because in the former case, they apprehended certain men blackmailing and forcing women into prostitution. The fact remains that its equally possible to do it off-screen without putting victims on camera when they are uncomfortable. The only agenda to air everything regardless of any action taken speaks volumes about the lust for rating by such channels.
We all know prostitution happens all around us at places. The TV channels are not doing any awareness outreach by parading these women on TV. It’s simple and pure harassment. The women anchors mocking the poor victims of prostitution, never explore the social, historical, and economic causes forcing certain women into prostitution. Today I raise a voice against such violations of ethics, tomorrow someone else will too.
Sources:
http://www.pakistantv.tv/2013/08/02/undercover-cnbc-2nd-august-2013-prostitution-business-ramzan/
http://www.pakistantv.tv/2013/04/26/undercover-cnbc-26th-april-2013-prostitution-places-police-involvement-exposed
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Shehryar Alam Khan is a student of psychology, a blogger and an activist for animal, children, women and human rights. He also occasionally comments on politics, religion and other relevant events and topics. He tweets @Papichooolo. Email: |
