Psychological Studies
Volume 61, Issue 1, 2016, Pages 76-82

From Victimhood to Survivor-Hood: Reflections on Women’s Agency in Popular Films on Sex Trafficking in India (Article)

James N.* , Ranganathan S.
  • a Department of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, India, G-49, Girls Hostel, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Yeddumailaram, Medak, Telangana 502205, India
  • b Department of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, India, Faculty cabin no. 210, E block, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Yeddumailaram, Medak, Telangana 502205, India

Abstract

Crimes against women have increasingly been reported in news media, since the 2012 ‘Nirbhaya’ incident took place. Recently the number of ‘women-centric’ films is steadily increasing. The present paper focuses on three recent films- Naa Bangaaru Talli (2014), Mardaani (2014) and Lakshmi (2014), which engage with the issue of sex trafficking, to understand the depiction of women’s vulnerability and agency with respect to gender-based violence. Though the films portray sex trafficking and their related issues in a realistic manner, none of these films move on to portray the next phase of rehabilitation and reintegration of victims. I also explore the extent to which the films emphasize the importance of individual resilience versus social enabling factors for overcoming sex trafficking. Finally, the paper speculates on the potential impact of these films on viewers. © 2016, National Academy of Psychology (NAOP) India.

Author Keywords

Victimhood rehabilitation sex trafficking Vulnerability

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84971265157&doi=10.1007%2fs12646-015-0344-4&partnerID=40&md5=cec411520e46cffe7a377be945687589
DOI: 10.1007/s12646-015-0344-4
ISSN: 00332968
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English