"Consent"- What is it? Is it
important? Who cares? How dare she refuse me?........ And then the male
chauvinist monster attacks the girl/woman. He forgets that he is denying her
the basic right of voicing her choice about what is happening to her mind and
body. As a woman I strongly condemn such an act where a woman's right of bodily
integrity and autonomy is not only neglected but crushed. Every woman on this
planet has the right to say "No".
It’s simple, ‘No’ means a clear, big and bold “No”.
When 'Yes' is easily understood and
accepted, what's the issue in understanding and accepting its antonym 'No'? A
study conducted by United Nations by surveying 10000 men in 6 Asia Pacific
countries (the word “Rape” was not mentioned, instead men were questioned if
they ever forced a lady to indulge in sex) has revealed that "sexual entitlement" (a mindset
where a man considers that he has an automatic control over the body of woman
irrespective of what the woman wants) is the trigger that drives men to rape
women. Another shocking outcome of the survey was that some men admitted to
raping women for entertainment to fight boredom. A small set of men cited anger
as the reason for forcing women. Shut
Up! Wake up Guys! Come out of your world of fantasy. Rape is not a joke; it’s a
heinous crime that seizes the entire existence of a woman, leaving her soul
panic stricken, wounded for life. Furthermore, our ‘so called patriarchal society’
depicts its double standards by drowning the Rape victim into the pond of shame
with a tagline "It’s your Fault"; whereas the excuse used for the
rapist is “After all he is a man, he has desires”.
Consent plays a key role in most of the
sexual assault cases; as it impacts the entire prosecution process. Consent can
be determined by various factors: Age of consent (the victim consenting was
below the age specified by law for having sex), Inability to consent (if the
victim consenting was insane, mentally retarded, intoxicated), withdrawal of
consent; (if the victim gave consent out to fear, embarrassment, coercion,
helplessness and later withdrew) the violation of these can attract the offence
of statutory rape. In simple sense, sex without ‘consent’ is Rape.
As a feminist I intend to ask a question
to the society, - The rape victim is blamed for her rape, for the injuries
inflicted on her body and her mind; despite her constant refusal to entertain
the advances of a man. So, what should be the punishment for the rapist who so
"innocently" rapes a woman, thrashes her self- esteem, insults the
essence of womanhood thereby uprooting her existence and destroying her life; against her will and consent?
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