Power, Politics, and Rape

Violence affects the lives of millions of women worldwide. The United Nations Development Fund for Women reports that one out of every three women worldwide is physically or sexually abused in her lifetime. It could take many forms, from female feticide, domestic violence and honor killings to rape as a weapon of war. You can see that in Northern Yemen, in Colombia, in Congo, in Sri Lanka …women get abused all the time, in war and in peace.

Trampling women’s rights is as old as civilization. Rape and sexual abuse is perhaps the only crime which stigmatizes the victim, not its perpetrator. And the most degrading things about rape is that the burden of proof of crime rests with the victim and she is subject to a second rape during the court proceedings. That’s why despite being left thoroughly shaken, very few women choose to talk about rape or report it. The family, instead of perceiving the violated woman as a victim who needs protection, sees her as someone who debased the family honor that must be redeemed somehow, may be by marrying the rapist. 

Psychologists and feminists have held that rape is an exercise of power and its perpetrator revels in the masochistic pleasure derived by subjugating the defenceless. It’s deplorable that when rape and that epitome of power called politics walk hand-in-hand, their symbiotic relationship results in an imbroglio, which can never serve the interests of the hapless victims.

Mayawati by counterclockwise via Flickr

Uttar Pradesh, North India. A state with a woman Chief Minister—Ms. Mayawati—notably, a ‘dalit’ (the oppressed caste) woman. UP has one of the highest rates of rape and other forms of violence against women, and dalits are more often the victims. With a woman Chief Minister, you’d expect instant redress to rape victims; right?

NO!!

Power corrupts men and women alike. What a consolation that women are equal to men – even in the ugly game of power play and the over-riding drive to stay in power! They are just as likely to use rape as a political weapon to advance their rise, to silence the detractors and oust their opponents.

Last month, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, leader of the rival political party (Congress) in UP, criticized the offer of a paltry sum of Rs.25,000 to rape victims, deploying helicopters and other expensive state machinery. Pointing out no monetary compensation could be adequate for a person who undergoes trauma in a society that stigmatises the victim, she inappropriately questioned how Mayawati would feel if she was given a crore of rupees as a compensation for being raped. Making opportunistic use of this condemnable remark for getting more Dalit votes, Mayawati jailed Ms.Joshi charging her with insulting dalits. In all the melee, the cause, that of rape victims, was totally forgotten.

You couldn’t expect much justice from Mayawati. She has used her caste and her gender to get votes. She had no compunction about welcoming into her party many goons, notably Arun Shankar, the notorious uncle of Gaurav Shukla —one of the six accused in the group rape of thirteen-year-old Zahira in 2005. Back in 2007, Mayawati had arrested his nephew Gaurav Shukla  when Arun Shankar had been in the rival party (Samajwadi Party). The result of this unholy collusion is a foregone conclusion.

So women! You cannot expect unconditional justice from a political system; it may work sometimes if it happens to serve the interests of those in power. Meanwhile, do not be afraid of coming out in the open. Be angry and defiant; there is no need to feel ashamed.