RAPE – A DIRTY SECRET FOR A COMMUNITY

Rape in India has become one of the biggest crimes nowadays though percapita reported incidents of rape are much lower than other developed countries. It is because of the social stigma that women face in the society when they come forward to narrate their horrifying incident of rape against them.

Still, in most of the cases, women who are raped are being blamed for the incident especially in the rural areas where the rate of literacy is much lower. In such cases, the village leaders call up a panchayat meeting and declare dictat/fatwa against the victim and prove her guilty. Adding to her woes, in most cases, the leaders force the girl to marry the rapist and if her family members do not agree to their dictat, they are thrown out of the village,

or given some other severe punishment. Though nowadays, the government has amended laws and more stringent laws have been introduced, still women must ensure safety of themselves as much as possible rather than depending entirely on our judicial system for justice.

• The first and foremost thing to remember is to trust your instincts. If you are not feeling comfortable with someone, avoid him instantly without hesitation.
• Though statistics vary, it is said that 9- 33% of rapists were strangers to the victim. In other words, most women are being raped by someone they know, being it friends, colleagues or relatives. So, the keyword is never belief anyone blind folded. If you feel that his intentions are not good, avoid him without a second thought.
  
• Nowadays, many girls learn the art of selfdefense through karate, boxing etc. Even, in some schools, special classes are being organized to learn self-defense and this can save one girl from being an easy victim of rape.
• Also, one should not take any food or drink from strangers at any time or leave one’s drink un-attended in party etc. as they may be laced with sedatives.
• Women can also carry pepper spray at their bags for emergency self –defense. These are few of the very basic steps to remember or practice to avoid being a victim of rape. Although, even if you are cautious, it does not ensure that you will not be a victim but we should learn the art of self –defense rather than entirely depending on our judicial system.
  

The most pathetic part of the situation of rape in India is that, we do not do what to do with these accused person, how to punish them. We sometimes raise our voice for capital punishment of the accused, but again we raise voice that from humanity ground, the accused should not be given capital punishment. So we are confused regarding this issue. However, shouldn’t we take strict steps against this crime?

Last but not the least is that beware of rape myths and victim blames in our male dominant society. One should remember always that the only person responsible for an assault is the perpetrator. If you are sexually assaulted, no matter what the situation was, it was never your fault. So, every rape victim should come forward and bring the culprit to justice.