Rape - Put a stop to this please!

This heinous crime, more than a crime, it is an inhumane want to fulfil one’s desire that makes people cross all boundaries and act alike savages. These savages don’t feed on the meat but the soul and sensitivity of a human being. The desire turns these social animals into devils for whom there is no right or wrong, no hell or heaven, just an extremely strong desire to have sex with another human, of being powerful, and enforcing this power through the act of sex. It is the destruction of female innocence.

Rapes are very often related to women but in this 21st century, even men are facing this monstrous issue. They do not come to fore because such cases as compared to women’s rapes are not reported.

I, being a woman, am scared to get out of my house in dark because of these criminals, these animals, who, to fulfil their own sexual desires, eat away our souls.  Well, for these people, it doesn’t matter if the female has a fully grown body or not. All they want is a hole to put their penis in. The reports of juvenile girls getting raped are a proof of this.

Many theories say that cussing is one’s way to let the anger out but for these savages, no cuss word would ever be enough. Being born and brought up in a metro city has definitely given me the liberty of visiting places during dark time but when alone, it has always scared me. I do not confess this in front of anyone but travelling alone in an auto rickshaw which sometimes takes shortcuts through narrow lanes scares the seven hells out of me.

People protest very strongly when such cases are reported, videos on social media are shared, candle marches are organised but these are all the result of anger. It is a mental pain for the people who feel deeply for the victims, but for the victims it is a constant physical, mental and emotional pain.

The victims are sometimes found dead, that is something which demands execution of the rapists right away but we only wish things were so easy. First the woman is robbed of her dignity and then during her last minutes, she is treated like an animal. Imagining that gives me a cold shudder down my spine.

People or say feminists talk about women empowerment. Social media platforms are used to create a buzz but how do such articles, videos, debates and opinions empower a woman? Can a woman feel safe wearing a sleeveless t-shirt and shorts in a dark lane? Does her inner strength protect her from the animals who are ready to grab and finish her? The answer is neither yes nor no. It lies in a grey space where not just the rapist is responsible but also the circumstances. This heinous crime cannot ever be justified and demands quick action. An understanding of the cause might prevent other innocent humans from such situation in future. After all, prevention is definitely better than the cure. So what causes rapists take this action? Is it the desperateness to have sex with someone? Is it the need to have pleasure by being sexually violent? Does the need to feel powerful by forcing someone to have sexual intercourse become so important? Does the need to inflict pain become the only remainder of eroticism? The reasons can be many and controlling this crime requires not only strong laws but a deep understanding of human psychology as well. Rape is a disorder, an act of sexual violence which is so disgustingly brutal that its cases make people question the basics of humanity. Such cases have many dimensions, social, criminal and psychological. The right manner to deal with them is crucial in our nation.

The shocking fact is in 9 out of 10 cases, the culprit is known to the victim. That is one disgusting and threatening fact. Being raped by someone you know can be horrifying.

So are the facts and figures that we are getting straight and correct? I think not. The social stigma and the mental pain already caused to the victim can be one of the major reasons that the victim doesn’t come out and report the crime. Also, the insensitivity shown towards the victims by the police personnel is one factor that makes victims feel more uncomfortable to come out and state what happened everything again to a bunch of strangers. The unreported cases of sexual assaults and rapes make it difficult to understand the clearer picture of what is happening where and when.

According to a Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) analysis of reported rape cases in India between 2001 and 2013 were 2,64,130 in 28 states during the 13-year period, an average of almost 56 incidents of rape per day. Roughly it can be said, in our nation, a woman is raped every 30 minutes. Now that’s a grossly shocking figure.

We need to understand that rapists are created, not born. They are created when boys and men are taught by society, media, and adults, that women and girls do not deserve respect as human beings. They are created by the cultural stigma in our society that is quick to forgive and sympathize with the attacker and far quicker to doubt, question, and blame the victim. The misogynists keep reminding the victims that they were the cause of it, not the rapist.

Such perspectives encourage the notion that rapists are not doing something wrong. It was the woman’s outfit, her past behaviour or her hanging out at the club. A false representation of masculinity that the actions of boys and men are beyond their control and it is on the women to protect themselves. It keeps women in danger and becomes a generalization for all men, some of them who respect women, know how to control their actions and understand the true sense of masculinity.

What is the cause of this crime? How can it be stopped? Most of the times, our focus is on how to help the victims but we need to focus on stopping this. There have been many men who rape women frequently to calm their egos to tell themselves they are strong enough. The sad part is they never get caught. We need to change the mindset of the people. We need to teach the people to change their mentality from ‘do not get raped’ to ‘do not rape’. We need to teach the men that a girl wearing short clothes is not inviting you to have sex with her. A girl who is drinking in a bar is not asking you to touch her with or without her consent. Telling women to carry a knife or pepper spray, advising her on how to dress, asking her not to drink is not rape prevention. It is to teach the boys and men that women are not just some sex toys. It is to make them realise rape is not just a physical crime but also an emotional, physical and mental crime. It is to make them understand that it is important to respect women and treat them as equals. It is to teach them the healthy and non-violent masculinity. It is to teach them that inhumanity in any form is unjust.