10 Ways Women Are Criminalized for Being Brutalized—as Seen in a Single Story
Here then from the story are 10 statements that, from what I’ve seen, are par for the course when it comes to women reporting rape around the world:
Self-blaming: “I’m dying of shame,” Devi said. “All I had was my honor…you lose that, you have nothing.”
Dirtying of reputation: “If all this is put on paper, the whole family’s reputation will be tarnished,” said a primary school teacher in Devi’s village.
Entitlement to dominate: “It’s the mindset of the dominant castes,” said a rights activist in New Delhi. “To them, raping a Dalit woman is not a sin.”
Lack of police response: Her husband called the police. Nobody came.
Mocking by police: When the couple went to the police station, an officer asked the ages of her teenage children and then said, “Who would rape such an old woman?”
Lack of medical exam: Three days after the alleged attack, Devi was sent to the district hospital for a medical examination. With forensic evidence long washed away, doctors there concluded that “no definite opinion about rape can be given.”
(Potentially intentional) police screw-ups: Police initially registered the case as sexual harassment, not rape.
Implying consent: A lawyer for the defendant argued that the woman was a “consenting party” in any sex act with his client.
Blaming the victim: The defense lawyer said that the fact that Devi left her house after dark “shows consent, doesn’t it?”
Ostracizing: Her neighbors laugh and make mean-spirited comments, Devi says, and her children are taunted at school.
There you have it. Ten concrete ways women are criminalized for being brutalized.
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