Rape Culture in India

What is Rape Culture?

Rape culture is a concept where rape is seen as normal due to cultural/societal attitudes in regard to sexuality and gender. Rape culture is tolerant of rape. Often times, it is associated with denial of rape, victim blaming, slut shaming and sexual objectification. Rape culture was a term that was first created in the 1970’s by second wave feminists. Second wave feminism had a focus on drawing attention to sexuality, family, reproductive rights, the workplace, domestic violence and rape. Rape went from being personal and private to public and political. Many myths surrounding rape led to the emergence of rape culture such as women dressing in a certain way are asking for it or want it.

Rape Culture in India

Rape culture in India typically places blame on the victim. Women who have been raped are often treated as impure after the fact. Prejudice against the victim is the norm in India, especially in the event that the victim receives any kind of media coverage.Rape culture in India involves shaming the victim which eventually leads to silencing her. This is a result of the patriarchal gender ideals and misogynist attitudes in India. Women have historically been viewed as second class citizens which has allowed men dominate the lives of women in India. Men are viewed as more important leading to practices and traditions that oppress women. Growing up in a culture where this hierarchical gender system is the norm, people often do not notice how unfair this prejudice is. This perspective of women is engraved in the minds of the people of India. Seeking justice for female rape victims used to be unheard of as it was believed that women that reported rape did not want to uphold the honour of their family.

2012 Gang Rape

In 2012, a gang rape occurred in Delhi on a bus. The woman was brutally raped and abused. The abuse led to her death in the hospital 13 days later. This event led to uproar in regard to women’s rights on the media. A couple years later, a documentary was made in which one of the convicted men were interviewed. He justified his actions by making claims about how the woman overstepped her gender roles and that she deserved it. His lawyer continued with the same victim blaming comments and went on as far as to say he would’ve burned her alive if she was his own daughter. This led to a lot of controversy across the world and illustrated how India’s old school traditions do not belong in today. This event led to a lot more media coverage as well as a lot of protests. People wanted answers, people wanted to know why the Indian government was not doing more to protect women. A lot was said about this woman; some argued that stepping out of the traditional gender norm and pursuing work was not acceptable and that she brought it on herself and it was a punishment she deserved. This perspective is one that falls in line with social attitudes about women in India as well as their value.

The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a novel in which pregnancy occurs through rape. It shows rape culture in a very extreme way as the rape of the Handmaid’s is not considered rape. This is a result of the Handmaid’s body being viewed as belonging to the totalitarian state. The Handmaid does not own her own body therefore, she is not raped. The intention behind the totalitarian state is to control women’s bodies and their sexualities. This is similar to the intention of rape culture as rape culture looks to control women’s bodies and sexualities as well. Language being a tool for power is theme we see throughout The Handmaid’s Tale through the means of labelling different women. Women are labelled by gender roles and are not able to hold jobs. Their status in society is dependent on their label which is similar to how rape victims in India are perceived. In the 2012 gang rape, some of the perpetrators gave the girl's decision to step outside what is typical for women in India and a pursue a career to be the reason they did this which ties into the concept from The Handmaid's Tale about following your gender role. Rape victims are often seen as impure or dirty. They can often be seen as not worthy, specifically not worthy of marriage. Women’s bodies in The Handmaid’s Tale are treated as an instrument to reproduce. Their bodies are used, and it is seen as acceptable, similar to how rape is treated in India.

The Prevalence of Intersectionality

In India, we can see that often times women in vulnerable situations are targeted. Young women, disabled women, or women that are unable to defend themselves are typically attacked. Women of lower socioeconomic status are often targeted as well due to the corruption that exists in India. Wealthier people are able to pay their way out of situations. Women that step outside of the traditional gender role and pursue careers are often targeted as well. Ultimately, women are seen as inferior in India which leads some men to believe they are allowed to this and this acceptable, especially if a woman steps out of the gender norms.

Girl, 11 and Deaf - The Target of A Gang Rape

Recently, it has come to light that a young girl in the Indian City of Chennai was raped in January. She had a hearing disability and was given a drug injection before the assault in the basement of the building she lived in. The assault was committed by 17 men, ages early 20s-late 60s. The young woman was a target due to her vulnerable condition and was threatened to never mention this incident to anyone. They took advantage of her age, her disability and obviously the fact that she was a woman and was able to be used by them in this way. The combination of factors made her appear to be an easy target for this group of men. The apathy of the police in India towards victims of sexual assault and rape has allowed for situations like this to continue on.