As a response to the sexual assault and homicide of the young female physiotherapist student Jyoti Singh on a New Delhi bus in 2012, director Leslee Udwin speaks out against the injustice with India’s Daughter, a documentary that explores the aftermath of the incident. While the film lends a voice to the discussion on rape and its complicated place in Indian society as a result of religion and tradition, some critics have used social media to point out its more problematic aspects, such as the political confusion evoked by Udwin’s choice to give one of the convicts airtime to ramble on and justify the group’s behavior. It is this unauthorised interview that the Indian government officially cites as unethical because it complicates the group’s appeal process. Although the government’s misogynistic institutional attitude has not changed, public perception, both in India and abroad, has. This change is reflected in protests and riots both on the streets and over Twitter and YouTube that allow the global community to engage with the ongoing process. By globalising awareness and participation, we are reminded once again that rape is not just a crime against women, but an issue for humanity.
