Rough Materials Highlight Disturbing Trends

In a shocking development, students in some medical colleges in India are reportedly being subjected to extreme types of ragging where seniors force them to memorize and recite obscene contents from booklets. Labeled as “personality development programmes” or “medical literature”, these booklets are filled with derogatory sexual references and promote misogyny and rape culture under the guise of initiation rituals, The Times of India reported.

Memorize rough content

Newcomers are required to carry these booklets with them and memorize crude descriptions of women, which often include explicit comparisons to objects and derogatory language. The content depicts women, including classmates, nurses, and patients, as mere sexual objects, even glorifying acts of sexual violence. Students who make mistakes while reading are punished by either being forced to re-read or enduring humiliation.

The problem extends beyond irregular sessions. A senior female doctor described male anesthetists and surgeons making inappropriate jokes about unconscious patients during surgeries. According to him, “Making jokes about patients’ bodies while they are unconscious on the operating table is one of the cheapest things I have ever seen male anesthesiologists and surgeons do.” This behavior points to a deep-seated culture of misogyny in some segments of the medical community.

Normalizing rape culture

Gender-based violence activists and experts have described these practices as encouraging young professionals to normalize and perpetuate rape culture. Despite anti-ragging laws and campaigns, these incidents underscore the urgent need for stricter enforcement and cultural reforms in medical institutions to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all students and staff.