“Rape is not just a physical, violent act perpetrated against a victim, it is an assault on humanity.” – Emma Watson
As hardly arguable this statement seems, rape is indeed a violent crime and a dreadful thing to happen to anyone where the victim is censured into a hellish living by fellow people in the society for eternity. Is it the right person we punish in such scenarios? Or is it just easy to blame the sufferer for their naïveté? How often do we ask questions about such incidents? Or do we refrain from asking these questions fearing we already know the answers?
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No matter what, the aggressor is at fault here, then why do we slut-shame the victim based on their clothing, lifestyle, and socializing patterns? I may know the answer: Humans tend to judge at a first impression. Whenever any news concerning violent crime, particularly when sexual violence comes up, firstly, the victim is described and further about her life. But nothing do we hear about the offender, even after being caught. They are displaced irrespective of any moral grounds by merely declaring them mentally unstable most of the time. Why is it so hard to believe that a perfectly sane individual can inflict violence upon another individual? Which is apparently happening around the globe regardless of ethnicity, culture, race, region, and gender. Every day we see people suffering; come through some depravity before our eyes; every day, we neglect these criminalities and accept them as a part of life. Turning a blind eye doesn’t stop it, rather it multiplies with the assurance that the perpetrator will eventually walk free and all the disgrace carried by the victim.
Date Rape is a criminal offense in which the offender is an acquaintance of the victim and forces them into unwanted sexual intercourse. For instance, a colleague, peer, family member, neighbor, or most likely a romantically involved partner. Whoever that is, we should understand that it’s never the victim’s fault. In most cases, the victim has succumbed to drugs or mere physical force leading to horrendous consequences. Adolescents and young adults, unfortunately, comprise a significant proportion under this category. Studies indicate younger age increases vulnerability to early sexual activity, earlier age of menarche, a history of sexual abuse or prior sexual victimization, and being more accepting of rape myths and violence toward women. In addition, early alcohol exposure amplifies the situation within the context of the date resulting in: the misinterpretation of friendly cues as sexual invitations, diminished coping responses, and the female’s inability to ward off a potential attack.
The definitions of sexual violence, rape, sexual aggression, harassment, and sexual assault may, however, be mingled but one thing is certain, that is, non-consensual intercourse. More than 50% of boys and girls reported date rape and attempted suicide in the 1998 Minnesota Student Survey. Adolescents who experienced both subsequently used laxatives, and diet pills, vomit, binge-eat, and have suicidal thoughts or attempts than their classmates. Mitigating the damage should include: generating sensitization for the opposite gender, minimal or no use of alcohol in dating scenarios, increasing self-efficacy to negotiate better, and avoiding negative peer influence. The problem arises in a society, then the solution also lies in the society.
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