Rape the Sense and Sensibility: From the New Millennium India

An impression on sexual crime and politics, recollected from the the expert recommendations of why rape occurs and on how the problems can be tackled

WITH LOVE FROM INDIA

Indian politicians are known for their  loquacity, and of late, they have been honing their skills in the so-called democratic space. Their stupidity is blatant when they start babbling; the most recent is in their comments on rape and sexual assault cases. Some lawyers and public servants are as well providing fine finishing touches to the existing canvas of shits, which the politicians have been creating, polishing at the cost of our ability to reason.

Often it is a curse to be a human being. The self-righteousness might only add more wounds than doing by the injuries. As one of the harsh realities that we come across when we grew up, in our surroundings we have to put up with more shits than we clean. And the issues inch towards the height of tragicomedy when we can see that there are even different categories; there are different kinds of sexual assault, such as a husband assaulting his wife or criminals out for a quick adrenaline rush, yet those are another story. There are also as many theories as are the kinds of savagery.

The criminal mentality is hardwired into us. It only takes a trace of self-interest or a misconception of achievement in life to steal or kill, or rape in this context. Emotion is another area that affects our decision-making processes from dawn to dusk. It might need a criminologist to elaborate on these stuffs. The point here, is that in knowing, we can make rooms for ourselves without having to rely on another person or animal, specifically with vicious intentions.

Is crime a part of our existence? The buck always stops at the realisation point that we are an intelligent being, and our intelligence is just a relative stuff. Relative, because we have picked ourselves as wiser from amongst the asses, mouses, monkeys and other lesser living animals. No wonder the animal instincts are well intact inside our own body. Above all, we have created the society to make issues more complex, which is evident from long drawn-out cases in law courts. Though it is an open question on the meanings and motives of having a society or from the social-contract ground. In any way, it is only us, the human beings, committing crime and judging it. Everybody sees it; and Shakespeare verbalised it succinctly, writing all the world is a stage.

Amidst the paucity of good sense, our society makes the situation severer. In the last one year, several politicians and professionals are speaking out, sharing their two sikki’s worth; and it’s so hilarious that they have given us a badly needed break, albeit it could have been much better without. Living in the rape capital of India, it is hard to ignore these comments, a dozen of which are listed on the left  image.

“Now piercèd is her virgin zone;
She feels the foe within it.
She hears a broken amorous groan,
The panting lover’s fainting moan,
Just in the happy minute.”
― JOHN WILMOT

It is amazing how we exist in the name of living and making a living. In the chaos, we have become a mélange of differing senses and sensibilities. The criminals amongst us is only completing the picture. Irregardless of marrying at a young age or living in either India or Bharat, the situation sees no hope for a miraculous change. This is stated with the awareness of  inexplicable challenges that the victims face in their lives.

Image from Hindustan Times

FURTHER READING

Rape as a weapon of war / It persists in Africa where HIV/AIDS takes a heavy toll
Rape as a weapon of war is taking a particularly heavy toll on women's lives in today's conflicts around the world, particularly in several African countries. It is a form of gender genocide.
(SF Gate: http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/Rape-as-a-weapon-of-war-It-persists-in-Africa-2659943.php)

Image from Intro to Sociology

The physical features of a criminal (From Why do people commit crime?)
Cesare Lombroso, Italian criminologist, on the physical feature of a criminal
A large jaws, forward projection of jaw, low sloping foreheads;  high cheekbones, flattened or upturned nose; handle-shaped ears; large chins, very prominent in appearance; hawk-like noses or fleshy lips; hard shifty eyes, scanty beard or baldness and insensitivity to pain .... finally .... a criminal would have long arms.
(History Learning Site: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/why_do_people_commit_crime.htm)

Common myths about rape and sexual assault
(Rape Crisis: http://www.rapecrisis.org.uk/commonmyths2.php)

Rape and murder in Delhi

A UN index in 2011 amalgamated details on female education and employment, women in politics, sexual and maternal health and more. It ranked India 134th out of 187 countries, worse than Saudi Arabia, Iraq or China. India’s 2011 census confirmed an increasingly distorted sex ratio among newborn babies in many states, as parents use ultrasound scanners to identify the sex of fetuses and then abort female ones. India is missing millions of unborn girls.

(The Economist: http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21569031-horrible-attack-could-prove-turning-point-indias-women-rape-and-murder-delhi)

Image from the Aqua Green Diaries

Men commit rape because they can
Rape is, of course, about power. It is a weapon of war. It also seems to have become an ugly rite of male bonding for groups of young men. It is a game for adrenalin junkies with an empathy bypass.
(The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/jul/31/ukcrime.immigrationpolicy1)

Rape, the most intimate of crimes
"A man who rapes, among men, is probably the most hated individual that can exist in a male society. It's actually dangerous to admit that you raped anyone. So men don't admit to rape, even in prison, because of fear of retribution by men who aren't rapists."
(PBS: http://www.pbs.org/kued/nosafeplace/articles/rapefeat.html)

U.N. study in Asia delves into why men rape
Men with a history of victimization, such as experiencing childhood physical or sexual abuse, emotional abuse or neglect in childhood, were more likely to commit sexual violence than those without such a past, according to the study.
(CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/10/world/asia/asia-rape-report/)

Sexual violence
Sexual violence is a serious public health and human rights problem with both short- and long-term consequences on women's physical, mental, and sexual and reproductive health. Whether sexual violence occurs in the context of an intimate partnership, within the larger family or community structure, or during times of conflict, it is a deeply violating and painful experience for the survivor.
(WHO: http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/violence/sexual_violence/en/)

8,541 minors raped in India last year: NCRB
The incidence of minors getting raped in the country has been on the rise since the past six years. While 5,045 such cases were reported in 2007, in 2012 the figure touched 8,541, according to data of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
(The Hindu: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/8541-minors-raped-in-india-last-year-ncrb/article4827704.ece)