Rape is the biggest possible violation of female body and dignity. No crime against women is as big. Worryingly, the incidents of rape seem to be on the rise. Many men blame the victims, accusing women of luring possible rapists with their skimpy outfits.
This is foolish. If it were true, not a single woman in Arab countries would have been raped as they cover their bodies from head to toe. The punishment for rapists in these countries is rather barbaric. Is it because extremists cannot protect burka-clad women that they mete out harsh punishments like stoning someone to death?
Why then do men rape? A recent UN survey covering more than 10,000 males in the Asia-Pacific region, shockingly found that one in every four men had raped a woman. Seventy-five percent respondents said they raped because they wanted to have sex. More than 59 percent said that they raped for entertainment. And over 38 percent said that they raped (including their partner) to punish the victim.
The report concluded that strict laws are needed to curb rapes. I for one don’t believe strict laws are the answer. The horrific rape case in Delhi two years ago gained worldwide attention. The culprits were given death punishments and the news was widely publicized. But Indian men continue to rape women.
The male members of the committee formed to oversee the Delhi rape case also believed that strong laws are not the answer. There was only one woman representing the victims. She, being a woman, felt the pain and shame women feel after they are raped. No wonder her demand for harsher punishment—hanging the rapists—was more emotional than just. But the three men were against it. No, they were not sympathetic to the rapists; men were more level-headed and were talking about justice and ways to curb such crimes.
It’s natural for women to get angry against rapists and demand harsher punishment for those who subject women to this kind of unimaginable torture. But I am against capital punishment for rape. Only when the rape gets brutal like in the Delhi gang rape case—in which ‘Nirbhaya’ was not only raped but disemboweled and thrown out of the bus—is capital punishment warranted.
This makes me think: do rapists read and watch what we read and watch? Is it that they live in a completely different world than the rest of us? More soul-searching is needed, rather than just demanding strong laws. Men who presume that women are weak and can be used as objects need to be challenged and women should be empowered to face those who make them feel they are nothing more than commodities. We should have the temerity to face the rapists rather than surrendering to them. The more we fear the notion that men are stronger than women, the more women have to face such horrendous crimes in the future.
Men who rape and murder women largely come from dysfunctional families. The root of this problem thus lies in faulty psychology and strict laws alone won’t be enough to protect women. Boys should be taught from the very beginning to respect girls. No matter what dress girls put on, the boys should not think of having sex with them. The dignity of female body should be respected by all.
Men are supposed to be the provider and protector of women. These protectors do not rape their wife, daughters, and sisters thinking they are subservient to them. Only those suffering from insecurity and low self-esteem resort to rape. They think that women are weak and conduits to show off their alpha personality. They are the ones who need psychological help, not the women who can wear what they like.
Rape is committed for lust, entertainment and revenge. Anyone can become a victim, any time. Patriarchal society and rapists have no connection. It is rather mentally troubled and sick people who commit these heinous acts. We have to find ways to keep them in check.
Published on Republica, 2014-06-25
http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=77717
This is foolish. If it were true, not a single woman in Arab countries would have been raped as they cover their bodies from head to toe. The punishment for rapists in these countries is rather barbaric. Is it because extremists cannot protect burka-clad women that they mete out harsh punishments like stoning someone to death?
Why then do men rape? A recent UN survey covering more than 10,000 males in the Asia-Pacific region, shockingly found that one in every four men had raped a woman. Seventy-five percent respondents said they raped because they wanted to have sex. More than 59 percent said that they raped for entertainment. And over 38 percent said that they raped (including their partner) to punish the victim.
The report concluded that strict laws are needed to curb rapes. I for one don’t believe strict laws are the answer. The horrific rape case in Delhi two years ago gained worldwide attention. The culprits were given death punishments and the news was widely publicized. But Indian men continue to rape women.
The male members of the committee formed to oversee the Delhi rape case also believed that strong laws are not the answer. There was only one woman representing the victims. She, being a woman, felt the pain and shame women feel after they are raped. No wonder her demand for harsher punishment—hanging the rapists—was more emotional than just. But the three men were against it. No, they were not sympathetic to the rapists; men were more level-headed and were talking about justice and ways to curb such crimes.
It’s natural for women to get angry against rapists and demand harsher punishment for those who subject women to this kind of unimaginable torture. But I am against capital punishment for rape. Only when the rape gets brutal like in the Delhi gang rape case—in which ‘Nirbhaya’ was not only raped but disemboweled and thrown out of the bus—is capital punishment warranted.
This makes me think: do rapists read and watch what we read and watch? Is it that they live in a completely different world than the rest of us? More soul-searching is needed, rather than just demanding strong laws. Men who presume that women are weak and can be used as objects need to be challenged and women should be empowered to face those who make them feel they are nothing more than commodities. We should have the temerity to face the rapists rather than surrendering to them. The more we fear the notion that men are stronger than women, the more women have to face such horrendous crimes in the future.
Men who rape and murder women largely come from dysfunctional families. The root of this problem thus lies in faulty psychology and strict laws alone won’t be enough to protect women. Boys should be taught from the very beginning to respect girls. No matter what dress girls put on, the boys should not think of having sex with them. The dignity of female body should be respected by all.
Men are supposed to be the provider and protector of women. These protectors do not rape their wife, daughters, and sisters thinking they are subservient to them. Only those suffering from insecurity and low self-esteem resort to rape. They think that women are weak and conduits to show off their alpha personality. They are the ones who need psychological help, not the women who can wear what they like.
Rape is committed for lust, entertainment and revenge. Anyone can become a victim, any time. Patriarchal society and rapists have no connection. It is rather mentally troubled and sick people who commit these heinous acts. We have to find ways to keep them in check.
Published on Republica, 2014-06-25
http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=77717
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