RAPE do how we define it…..Is it simply an act of sexual intercourse or advances without ones consent? We all are aware of the reality that how rape takes places but always the question WHY remains unanswered. Is it simply a case of heightened sexual desire playing its role or is something more behind this act? Rapes are a social problem. It has several myths and misconceptions attached to it. Due to the absence of knowledge of sexual psychopathy rape is misconstructed and misinterpreted which leads to perpetuation of victimization rather than its prevention. In the words of A.Nicholas Groth ”Without an understanding of the offender, one cannot fully appreciate what the victim is a victim of” . It is a popular misconception that the “offender’s behavior is primarily motivated by sexual desire and the rape is directed towards gratifying only this need. However careful clinical study of offenders reveals that rape is in fact serving primarily nonsexual needs.” (Groth, 1979) Rape in actual “is the sexual expression of power and anger” Rape involves sexuality which becomes a means of expression for aggression, domination and control. As in the rape case of Bhanwari Devi, who was raped by upper caste men when she challenged the caste as well as gender hierarchy. (Chakravari, 2003) Understanding rape as an expression of sexual desire is not only an inaccurate notion but also an insidious assumption. As it results in the shift of the responsibility for the offense in large part from the offender to the victim: if the assailant is sexually aroused and is directing these impulses towards the victim, then it must be that she has deliberately or inadvertently stimulated or aroused this desire in him through her actions, style of dress or some other feature. A myth about the offender is that the person was sexually aroused and that’s why he committed the offence but most of them are already in a consenting sexual relationship. Groth believes that Rape is always a symptom of some psychological dysfunction, either temporary and transient or chronic and repetitive. It is usually a desperate act which results from emotionally weak and insecure individual’s inability to handle the stress and demands of life. It is out of desperation and emotional turmoil that he commits such an irrational act. Therefore he is not deterred by such logical considerations as punishment, disgrace to his family, injury to victims, etc. A Myth about the victim is that she”only got what she asked for”. Even if so then she still retains the right to change her mind. Such charges of provocation are ridiculous when we see that victims of rape include all gender and age category. There is neither any place, season, or time of day in which rape has never occurred, nor any specific type of person to which it has never happened. In 2012 Rape case of Delhi one of the offender said”She deserved to be raped” The victim was out at night with a male friend and the rape was carried out as to teach a lesson. This shows that when gender roles are disruptive of the social order ‘actions’ are done in order to save patriarchy in the society and to retain masculinity and femininity. There is a need of change in the policy making. Instead of the approach for 24 X 7 surveillance on our heads what is required is a more gender neutral society where women are not perceived as mere object. In 86% of cases (95.7% in Delhi) offenders were known to the victim 1.82%of rapes out of total reported cases are of incest rapes. As out of 36,735 rapes 197 are reported custodial rapes. There were 36,975 victims of custodial rapes for 36,735 reported rape cases in the country. (National Crime Bureau, 2014). This raises a question as how the agency which is meant to keep us safe becomes something from which we need to be safe. A change in our culture, a change in our thinking is needed as these policemen are not aliens but people who were socialized in the same gendered society in which this culture prevails. Multidisciplinary and interagency efforts at individual, social, cultural, legal, economic and political level are needed. Only then a real change can happen. It starts with you. -Chand Mahal Ruby ( Ramjas College , President at SFI Ramjas Unit) Bibliography Chakravari, U. (2003). Caste and Gender in Contemporary India. In Caste in Colonial India. Groth, A. (1979). Men Who Rape The psychology of the offender. New York: Spinger Science+Business Media. National Crime Bureau. (2014). Crime Against Women. Government of India.
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AuthorAditya Nayak Archives
February 2017
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