The American Savior Complex in India
According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s 2008 report “Female Victims of Violence,” there was a total of 44,000 reported rape and sexual assaults by intimate partners. According to the Indian National Crime Records Bureau, in 2012, there was a total of 24,915 reported rape cases. Keep in mind that the population of the U.S. is 311 million and India’s is 1.2 billion, so despite the amount of unreported cases and the different nature of these statistics, it is apparent that sexual violence is prevalent in both countries.
While global feminist partnerships are desirable, they must be based on a notion of equality and dialogue. Whether or not she meant for it to be interpreted this way, Chasm’s account is accusatory towards Indian males who — in light of recent events — have been labelled as “sexually frustrated.”
Regardless if this is true or not, it is up to Indians to find Indian solutions to the problem of sexual violence, as it is up to Americans to find a American solutions to sexual violence in the United States.
It is time to turn our attention inwards. After all, discovering yourself requires knowing where you come from.