TW: Discussion of sexual assault and r*pe.
At SASHA, we want to ensure our society is including a range of viewpoints and perspectives. We are starting a series on our Instagram called “Decolonising Conversations around Sexual Assault”, to help tackle how colonisation affects our lens on sexual violence. For the first part of this series, we explore sexual violence in India; that features a testimonial from a member of SASHA's community, who came forward expressing their experiences.
An overview:
India currently has no law criminalising martial rape
Men are able to take advantage of women with little to no repercussions
India's attitudes towards rape encourages victim blaming
Rape in India has become a weapon of choice
Statistics:
In 2019, 32,033 rape cases were reported
Every 18 minutes a woman is raped in India
Rapes of Dalit women have increased by 45%
Inequalities:
Survivors are often shamed and face barriers to finding justice - that are harder for Dalits, Adivasis and Muslims
Men of higher status, Brahims and Kshatriyas, often get away with committing sexual violence using their wealth to silence victims
Resources: Equality Now (Sexual Violence in India) and Anya Narang (2022, The not-so-hidden crime: India's rape crisis)
Read below our member's personal relationship to sexual violence in India, here is their full quotation:
“Rape is seen as the victim’s fault rather than the perpetrator, political discourse in India is terribly misinformed, encouraging systematic victim-blaming that ends up helping the offenders. From mere infants to elderly women and men, rape is not just a crime of sexual nature. It is anything but. It is the cruellest form of power play. There is a group of misogynistic people who despise femininity so much that they’d do heinous things to overpower it. In India, the land of gods and goddesses, almost every day, a person is sexually violated. And that is then promoted through media and trends, one of the problematic slogans produced by Bollywood- ‘Ek ladki ki na mein uski haan hai’ which roughly translates to - 'there’s a yes hidden in a girl’s no'. We are just so adamant about the moral subjugation of girls, we forget to carry out a rational and justified investigation. There is this one line that you see being spoken when a girl is raped in Asian (desi) households- ‘Meri izzat lut gayi’ which roughly translates to ‘I was robbed of my honour’. The terminology when dealing with cases of sexual violence matters, how you portray the problem matters and shaming the victims does not solve anything. Born and brought up in India, I feel there is so much to be done to save people from sexual violence and to correct the problematic narratives. There has been an initiative on multiple fronts. And there is such a long way to go. As a girl, I have always been afraid to accidentally draw attention to myself in a public place if I am unaccompanied. I would like very much to just get home and not be seen. I keep my hands on my lighter and my fingers hover over the dial pad on my phone every time I walk in the dark. Every time. I keep looking over my shoulders if I am crossing the woods, not for animals. At least not the same kind.”
For more information, check out the post on our Instagram post “Decolonising Sexual Assault: Part 1”. If you relate to this post or find it triggering and need to access support, check out the Resource Tab on our website.
We'd love to hear your feedback on SASHA's inclusivity and equality - you can DM us on Instagram @sasha_uol or fill out our Feedback Form.
Written by Nina Piotrowska
Edited by McKenzie Burnett
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