Rape culture or rape rhetoric?
Last year, a poll conducted by Thomson Reuters Foundation declared India as the “most dangerous country in the world!” The credibility of this poll was much debated; it was mainly accused of being based on the general rhetoric around the “rape culture” in India than on facts and figures. The question, however, is not ‘what the poll claimed’ rather ‘why the poll claimed’ what it did claim? India might not be the most dangerous country in the world for women but an undeniable fact about our beloved “Bharat Mata” is that it does have a perpetuating rape culture.
What is Rape Culture? The notion owes its genesis to the second-wave feminists of the 1970s in the US. It is an environment where Rape is prevalent and normalized. It is perpetuated due to the gender and sexuality notions of society. Rape culture in India is deeply rooted within its traditionalism and colonial legacy. Trivializing the matter has only aggravated the situation. The numbers of people reporting sexual crimes have increased which might show the rising awareness of the society but we cannot digress that the number of cases themselves hasn’t shrunk.
Rape is not only a “crime of sex”, but it is also a “crime of violence”. Recent studies have proved that most perpetrators committed the crime to show their domination and to “put the victim in its place”. The continued protraction of rape is because of its treatment as a crime against women only (in most instances). Rape against men and Trans-genders is often brushed off as a non-existent phenomenon. Due to patriarchal notions, women are most vulnerable to sexual crimes but owing to these notions sexual crimes against men are often laughed off. Either the man is termed a ‘willy’ or is considered ‘lucky’. Even the IPC section 375, which deals with rape specifically, mentions women as the victim leaving no room for any provisions for men and Trans-genders who are often treated as perpetual ‘sex workers’.
Rape accounts for almost 12% of all crimes against women. National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) statistics paint a grim picture. It shows that for 2012–2016 approximately 40% of female reported victims were “minors” and what is more gruesome, 95% of them knew their rapist. Even though the government has been trying to pass stricter laws against rape and continued modifications in existing laws, there has been a general rise in the number of rape cases. One of the most outrageous cases in the history of India: The “Nirbhaya” case had shaken the world. However, there was a record increase of 26% in rape crimes in 2013. The “Kathua” case forced the government to pass an ordinance to modify the existing POCSO act whereby now the death penalty will be given to those convicted of raping a child up to 12 years of age. With fast track courts in place and stricter laws enacted, one does wonder why we still have so many rapes occurring in our country.
Crime does not die with its criminals, to understand rape; we need to look at it from the perpetrator’s point of view. Most of these rapists want to prove their power. The power tussle generated by the changing times aggravates men to violate a woman’s physical integrity. Women at work are seen as a threat to the masculinity of men. A free woman is slut-shamed, objectified, and considered “loose”. It is commonly believed that a “bad” or “misbehaved” woman deserves to get raped. The definition of a bad woman could be anything: wearing short clothes, choosing career over family, drinking and smoking, being sexually active, and whatnot. This patriarchal mindset is so ingrained in us that even women question fellow women’s character. The portrayal of women in the media does not help too. Stalking and cat-calling are justified as romantic gestures. Movies with strong female characters are either banned or do not gather many audiences because a subservient woman is considered ideal.
War rape, prison rape, and marital rape are the few atrocities that are not even acknowledged in our country with due diligence. Marital rape is not even considered a crime. Since a wife is the property of her husband and not an individual, he is allowed to do whatever he wishes to with her because “jo gaadi khareed li gyi ho, us par kiraaya kis baat ka.” Such is the mentality of our society. Rape in India is not only perpetuated due to toxic masculinity but also due to various social evils that have fettered our society. Caste and religion play a huge role in the protraction of the rape culture. Many women are raped for delineating from the “supposed casteist and communal” boundaries.
There is a general “Hoo-Haw” around sex in our society. Particularly female sexuality is considered a huge taboo. A woman is not supposed to desire sex, she is supposed to only act as a vessel; one that produces sons to carry on the lineage. Even though male sexuality is considered a thing that men cannot control and it’s a woman’s prerogative to make sure she doesn’t attract their gaze. Sex, in general, is so stigmatized that the pent up frustration leads them to heinously rape the object of their desire. Add to this, is the culture of marking the victim as “kalank” on their family, while the perpetrator roams free without any afflictions.
Everything enlisted above has been voraciously discussed at length several times and yet the causes remain, the crime occurs. It’s because not only mere acknowledgment but an attitude shift is required to bring about a positive change. The government has to do away with the paternalistic attitude of “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao”. Our initiatives should be “Beti ko Badhao, Beti Padhao”. Instead of patronizing women and locking them inside homes we need to start teaching our men to respect women, to respect them as humans. We need to stop calling sensitive men as “wusses” and their harassment as a “lucky encounter”. Trans-genders do not only sell their body, but some of them are also subjected to do so due to societal norms.
Rape culture is perpetuated through sexist attitude, rape jokes, unwanted non-sexual touch, flashing, locker room banter, et al. Normalization of this everyday behavior is what hasn’t stopped people from raping other people. The solution to this grave issue is a simple theory but a life-altering application. The right kind of education, sensitization, broad outlook towards gender norms is the need of the hour. Things do not change in the nick of time, however, an attitude shift comes when we as the educated generation take genuine steps to unlearn patriarchal and regressive notions. We strive to bring up the next generation without the notions of toxic masculinity, and demure and so-called dumb femininity. We strive to change our everyday behavior and consciously take measures to not just kill the criminal but to kill the cause of their crime. Progressive laws along with progressive minds will make about the change that we often hear in fables.
“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing…” — Arundhati Roy
