Acceptance of Rape Myths Among Police Officers in India

• In Event: Victimization in an international context

Abstract

In recent years, India has been marked by highly publicized rape victimization cases, which have led to worldwide public outcry and demands for rape-law reform and the protection of women. This study assesses the prevalence of rape myths that persist in Indian society among police officers who are legally responsible guardians of public safety. In total, 376 surveys (a response rate of 83.6%) were gathered from police officers in Faridabad, a large industrial city in North India, asking about their level of agreement related to rape myth acceptance (RMA). The study also probed potential sources of these beliefs, such as gender, antisocial attitudes, low self-control, and sexist attitudes. Further, the respondents were asked questions about a particularly brutal rape that occurred in India in 2012 and their thoughts on the incident. Finally, we compare levels of RMA from additional data gathered from college students to law enforcement officers’ level of RMA. We consider the theoretical and policy implications of the findings.

Authors

• Hanif Qureshi, Inspector General, Haryana State Police

• Teresa C. Kulig, University of Nebraska at Omaha

• Francis Cullen, University of Cincinnati

• Bonnie S. Fisher, University of Cincinnati